Datejust 31 Yellow Gold Domed / President / Steel Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 178248-0092 iteration, embodies the quiet authority of a timepiece that has defined elegance for generations. With a 31-millimeter yellow gold case, its domed profile and polished finish evoke the enduring silhouette of the Datejust collection, first introduced in 1945 as a symbol of accessible luxury. The dial, a luminous silver backdrop, is adorned with meticulously crafted Roman numerals and slender stick hands, their precision reflecting the meticulous attention to detail that has become a hallmark of Rolex’s horological legacy. Encased in a sapphire crystal and sealed with a closed case back, the watch balances robustness with refinement, its 100-meter water resistance a testament to its practicality without compromising its sartorial grace. At its core lies the Caliber 2235, a self-winding movement with a Parachrom balance spring, ensuring exceptional accuracy and resilience against magnetic interference. This technical sophistication is paired with the Datejust 31’s signature president bracelet—a three-piece link design in steel, its polished edges and secure clasp offering both comfort and a sense of understated opulence. The interplay of yellow gold and steel, a nod to the collection’s heritage of blending precious materials with timeless functionality, speaks to a wearer who values heritage as much as innovation. This watch is for those who seek a companion that transcends trends, a piece as suited to a formal evening as it is to the quiet confidence of everyday life. It is not merely an object of desire, but a statement of enduring taste.

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.

178248-0092 is one of 38 executions of the 178248 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a silver dial and a yellow gold case.

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold

178248-0012 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

178248-0013 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

178248-0014 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black · Yellow Gold

178248-0019 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold

178248-0020 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold

178248-0023 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

178248-0025 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black · Yellow Gold

178248-0026 · 31 mm

+ 29 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