Datejust 31 Rolesor Yellow Fluted / Oyster / Silver Diamond

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31 in Rolesor—yellow gold and stainless steel—embodies the quiet authority of a timepiece that has defined elegance for generations. Introduced in 1945, the Datejust collection established itself as a benchmark for luxury watches, blending precision with timeless design. This specific iteration, with its 31mm case and fluted bezel, retains the collection’s iconic silhouette while refining its presence for contemporary wear. The silver dial, framed by gem-set indexes, offers a subtle interplay of light and texture, complemented by the simplicity of stick hands that ensure legibility without ostentation. The Rolesor construction, a hallmark of Rolex’s craftsmanship, merges the warmth of yellow gold with the durability of stainless steel, creating a balance between tradition and modernity. At its core, the watch houses the Caliber 2235, an automatic movement renowned for its reliability and precision, featuring a Parachrom balance spring and a 70-hour power reserve. The sapphire crystal, paired with a closed case back, underscores the watch’s robustness, while the 100-meter water resistance ensures practicality without compromising sophistication. The Datejust 31’s heritage is evident in its meticulous finishing, from the polished edges of the Oyster case to the subtle Côtes de Genève pattern on the movement. This watch is for those who value understated refinement, seeking a piece that transcends trends yet remains eternally relevant. It suits the boardroom, the gala, or the quiet moments of personal significance—worn not as a statement, but as a testament to enduring quality.

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.

178273-0040 is one of 32 executions of the 178273 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a silver dial and a yellow gold, stainless steel case.

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178273-0001 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178273-0002 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178273-0006 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178273-0009 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178273-0010 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178273-0011 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178273-0013 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178273-0015 · 31 mm

+ 23 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