Datejust 31 White Gold Fluted / President / Silver Diamonds & Sapphires

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 178279-0080 iteration, embodies the quiet authority of a timepiece that marries tradition with meticulous craftsmanship. A white gold case, polished to a mirror-like sheen, frames a dial of refined elegance—silver in tone, adorned with gem-set indexes that catch light with subtle precision. The fluted bezel, a hallmark of the Datejust collection since its 1945 debut, adds a tactile and visual contrast to the sleekness of the case, while the President bracelet, with its signature five-link design, ensures both comfort and a sense of understated opulence. The dial’s interplay of diamonds and sapphires, set with exacting symmetry, reflects the collection’s enduring appeal as a symbol of timeless sophistication. At the heart of this watch lies the Caliber 2235, an automatic movement celebrated for its reliability and precision, featuring a Parachrom blue balance spring and a self-winding mechanism that ensures unwavering performance. The closed case back, paired with a sapphire crystal, underscores the watch’s commitment to durability without compromising its aesthetic restraint. This reference, while rooted in the Datejust’s legacy of innovation and heritage, stands apart through its harmonious balance of materials and design. Suited for those who value discretion as much as distinction, the 178279-0080 is an ideal companion for moments that demand both presence and restraint—whether in the boardroom, at a gala, or as a quiet testament to personal achievement. It is not a watch that shouts, but one that commands attention through its quiet, unerring 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.

178279-0080 is one of 25 executions of the 178279 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a silver 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