Datejust 31 White Gold Diamond / President / Silver Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its refined expression of enduring elegance, embodies the brand’s mastery of balancing tradition with contemporary sophistication. This particular iteration, distinguished by its white gold case and gem-set bezel, merges the timeless allure of the Datejust collection with a modern sensibility. The dial, a luminous silver canvas, is adorned with meticulously crafted Roman numerals and slender stick hands, evoking the precision and clarity that have defined Rolex’s horological legacy since 1945. The President bracelet, a hallmark of the collection’s heritage, complements the watch’s polished silhouette with its seamless integration of comfort and luxury, ensuring a presence that is both understated and commanding. At its core, the Datejust 31 is powered by Rolex’s in-house Caliber 2235, an automatic movement renowned for its reliability and the inclusion of a Parachrom hairspring, which enhances resistance to shocks and magnetic fields. The sapphire crystal, paired with a water resistance rating of 100 meters, underscores the watch’s commitment to both durability and refinement. The gem-set bezel, while discreet in its application, adds a subtle touch of opulence that aligns with the aspirations of those who seek distinction without ostentation. This watch is for the discerning individual who values heritage, craftsmanship, and the quiet confidence of a timepiece that transcends trends. It is suited to moments of significance—whether in formal settings or as a companion to the everyday—where presence is measured not in volume, but in precision and poise.

In Context

At 31 mm it is small by current standards, in the range most wristwatches occupied before cases began growing through the 1990s. The case back is closed, so the movement stays out of sight, and the sapphire crystal will resist everything short of deliberate abuse. 100 m is genuine swimming resistance — more than the shape of this watch suggests it would need.

The movement winds itself from the motion of your wrist. 48 hours of reserve is enough to set it down on Friday evening and find it still running on Monday. At 28,800 vph the seconds hand advances 8 times a second.

178159-0052 is one of 36 executions of the 178159 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a silver dial and a white gold case.

Rolex

White · White Gold

178159-0001 · 31 mm

Rolex

Pink · White Gold

178159-0002 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · White Gold

178159-0007 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · White Gold

178159-0010 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · White Gold

178159-0011 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · White Gold

178159-0012 · 31 mm

Rolex

Pink · White Gold

178159-0014 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black · White Gold

178159-0015 · 31 mm

+ 27 more variants in this family.

The 2235 is the small Rolex automatic of the six-digit generation, a 20 mm movement with a date. It carried the Datejust 31 and the 26 mm Lady-Datejust from around 2000 until the 2236 replaced it. It powers 733 watches in this library. It has 31 jewels, a 48-hour reserve and a beat of 28,800 vph, and every one is a COSC chronometer. It is the same architecture as the [2236](/calibers/rolex-2236) that followed, without the silicon Syloxi hairspring and with seven hours less reserve; the [2236 piece](/blog/the-rolex-2236-the-most-common-movement-in-this-library) explains what changed. The library finds it almost entirely in the [Datejust 31](/brands/rolex/datejust-31): 682 references, the 1782xx generation, whose 45 base references and hundreds of dial variants make that collection the largest here. The 26 mm [Lady-Datejust](/brands/rolex/lady-datejust) of the 1791xx generation accounts for 29, the [Pearlmaster](/brands/rolex/pearlmaster) 29 mm and 34 mm for 19, and the 35 mm Yacht-Master for 3. A six-digit Datejust 31 reference is a 2235; the seven-digit one is a 2236, as the [reference-number guide](/blog/how-to-read-a-watch-reference-number) explains. The 2231 was its no-date sibling in the Oyster Perpetual, and the [3135](/calibers/rolex-3135) its counterpart in the 36 mm cases.

732 other watches in the library run the Rolex 2235.

Rolex

Datejust 31 Yellow Gold Diamond / Oyster / Black MOP

178158-0056 · 31 mm

Rolex

Datejust 31 Stainless Steel Diamond / Oyster / Pink MOP

178384-0061 · 31 mm

Rolex

Datejust 31 Rolesor Everose Domed / Jubilee / Black MOP

178241-0043 · 31 mm

Rolex

Datejust 31 Yellow Gold Domed / Oyster / Champagne Roman

178248-0079 · 31 mm