Datejust 31 White Gold Fluted / President / Blue Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31 has long stood as a testament to the brand’s mastery of timeless design, and the 178279-0083 exemplifies this legacy with a refined balance of tradition and sophistication. The blue sunburst dial, a hallmark of Rolex’s craftsmanship, radiates a quiet elegance, its deep hue enhanced by the precision of the Roman numerals and the sharp, minimalist stick hands. Encased in white gold, the watch’s fluted bezel adds a subtle yet unmistakable touch of distinction, while the President bracelet—characterized by its triple-link construction and polished finish—offers both comfort and a sense of quiet authority. This iteration of the Datejust 31, with its 31-millimeter diameter, strikes a harmonious balance between the iconic proportions of its predecessors and the contemporary preference for more restrained sizing. At its core, the watch is powered by Rolex’s in-house Caliber 2235, a self-winding movement celebrated for its reliability, precision, and the brand’s signature Parachrom blue balance spring, which ensures resilience against magnetic interference and temperature fluctuations. The closed case back and sapphire crystal further underscore the watch’s commitment to durability and clarity, while the 100-meter water resistance makes it as practical as it is polished. This timepiece is for the discerning individual who values heritage without ostentation, seeking a watch that commands respect through subtlety rather than volume. It suits formal occasions with an air of understated confidence, yet its enduring design ensures it remains equally at home in the quiet moments of daily life.

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.

178279-0083 is one of 25 executions of the 178279 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a blue sunburst 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