Datejust 31 Yellow Gold Fluted / Oyster / MOP

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its enduring form, has long stood as a testament to the brand’s mastery of blending timeless design with horological precision. The 178278-0067, with its yellow gold case and fluted bezel, embodies the collection’s legacy since its introduction in 1945—a silhouette that has remained remarkably consistent while evolving in subtle, deliberate ways. The dial, a luminous mother-of-pearl surface, is framed by gem-set indexes that catch light with quiet elegance, their placement echoing the symmetry of the original Datejust’s design. The stick hands, crisp and unadorned, complement the dial’s organic texture, creating a balance between tradition and refinement. At its core, the watch houses the Caliber 2235, an automatic movement certified as a chronometer, ensuring precision and reliability. The case, crafted from 18ct yellow gold, is both a nod to Rolex’s early experiments with precious metals and a modern interpretation of luxury wearability. The sapphire crystal, paired with a closed case back, reinforces the watch’s durability without compromising its understated sophistication. Water resistance to 100 meters further underscores its practicality, a feature that has made the Datejust a companion for both formal occasions and everyday life. This timepiece is for the discerning individual who values heritage without compromise, seeking a watch that transcends trends while honoring the craftsmanship of generations past. It is suited to those who appreciate the quiet confidence of a design that has endured for decades, worn as often in boardrooms as on wrists that demand nothing less than excellence.

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.

178278-0067 is one of 37 executions of the 178278 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a white dial and a yellow gold case.

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

178278-0010 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold

178278-0018 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold

178278-0021 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold

178278-0025 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold

178278-0028 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold

178278-0031 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold

178278-0034 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold

178278-0037 · 31 mm

+ 28 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