Datejust 31 White Gold Fluted / President / Black Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 178279-0082 iteration, embodies the quiet authority of a timepiece that has defined elegance since its debut in 1945. This reference, crafted in white gold, marries the collection’s enduring legacy with contemporary refinement. The dial, a deep black expanse, is adorned with Roman numerals and slender stick hands, their precision echoing the watch’s mechanical heartbeat. The fluted bezel, a hallmark of Rolex’s design language, adds a tactile and visual dimension that distinguishes it from mere horology to artistry. Encased in 18ct white gold, the watch’s proportions—31mm in diameter, with a lug width of 16mm—strike a balance between presence and subtlety, ensuring it feels both commanding and discreet on the wrist. Beneath the sapphire crystal lies the Caliber 2235, a self-winding movement that underscores Rolex’s mastery of engineering. Its Parachrom blue balance spring and Paramagnetic blue alloy components ensure resilience against magnetism and shock, while the date display, positioned at the 3 o’clock mark, operates with the seamless precision expected of a brand that has redefined reliability. The closed case back, paired with the President bracelet’s triple-folding clasp, reinforces the watch’s commitment to both durability and sophistication. This timepiece is for the individual who values heritage without ostentation, whose moments of significance—whether in boardrooms, at gala events, or during quiet contemplation—are best marked by understated excellence. It is not a statement, but a testament.

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.

178279-0082 is one of 25 executions of the 178279 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a black 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