Datejust 31 Yellow Gold Fluted / President / Steel Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 178278-0130 iteration, embodies the quiet authority of a timepiece that has defined horological elegance for generations. This particular reference marries the enduring allure of yellow gold with the refined restraint of a grey dial, its Roman numeral indexes and stick hands rendered in a balance of precision and tradition. The fluted bezel, a hallmark of the Datejust collection since its introduction in 1945, adds a tactile dimension to its classic silhouette, while the President bracelet—crafted from polished stainless steel—offers both comfort and a subtle assertion of status. The case’s 31-millimeter diameter, paired with a lug width of 16 millimeters, ensures a presence that is neither ostentatious nor diminutive, striking a measured equilibrium between modern wearability and historical lineage. At its heart lies the Caliber 2235, an automatic movement that delivers a 70-hour power reserve and a date display that shifts seamlessly with the turning of the hour hand. Encased in a sapphire crystal and sealed to 100 meters, the watch is as practical as it is poised, a testament to Rolex’s mastery of engineering without sacrificing aesthetic harmony. The grey dial, with its understated elegance, reflects the brand’s philosophy that true luxury lies in the absence of excess. This watch is for the individual who values heritage as much as innovation, whose presence is marked not by noise but by nuance. It suits the boardroom, the gala, or the quiet moments of reflection—where time is measured not in urgency, but in the quiet confidence of a legacy worn on the wrist.

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.

178278-0130 is one of 37 executions of the 178278 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a grey 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