Datejust 31 White Gold Fluted / President / MOP Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31 in white gold fluted case and President bracelet embodies the quiet authority of a timepiece that has defined elegance for generations. Within the Datejust collection—a lineage tracing back to 1945—this reference distills the brand’s enduring commitment to refined simplicity. The dial, a luminous mother-of-pearl surface, is framed by applied Roman numerals and sleek stick hands, their contrast against the white backdrop evoking a timeless dialogue between tradition and restraint. The fluted bezel, a hallmark of Rolex’s design language since the 1950s, adds a tactile dimension to the watch’s silhouette, while the President bracelet, with its polished and satin-finished links, ensures a balance of comfort and ceremonial presence. At its core, the watch houses the Caliber 2235, a self-winding movement distinguished by its precision and reliability, with a date display that operates seamlessly through a sapphire crystal. The case, crafted in 18ct white gold, is both a testament to Rolex’s mastery of metallurgy and a nod to the enduring appeal of precious metals in horology. Water resistance to 100 meters underscores its practicality without compromising its sartorial character. This watch is for the individual who values understated sophistication, someone whose presence is marked not by ostentation but by the quiet confidence of a legacy worn on the wrist. It suits occasions where discretion is the highest form of luxury—a boardroom meeting, a gala, or a quiet evening when the passage of time is measured not in haste, but in moments.

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.

178279-0073 is one of 25 executions of the 178279 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a white dial and a white gold case.

Rolex

Silver · White Gold

178279-0006 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · White Gold

178279-0008 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · White Gold

178279-0015 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black · White Gold

178279-0017 · 31 mm

Rolex

Blue · White Gold

178279-0033 · 31 mm

Rolex

Pink · White Gold

178279-0036 · 31 mm

Rolex

Blue · White Gold

178279-0041 · 31 mm

Rolex

Pink · White Gold

178279-0043 · 31 mm

+ 16 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