Datejust 31 Yellow Gold Diamond / President / Black MOP Computer

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 178288-0016 iteration, marries the enduring elegance of the Datejust collection with a refined interplay of materials and craftsmanship. The yellow gold case, polished to a lustrous sheen, frames a dial that juxtaposes the deep, velvety black of mother-of-pearl with the subtle sparkle of gem-set indexes and a bezel. This balance of opulence and restraint is a hallmark of the Datejust line, first introduced in 1945 as a timepiece designed to harmonize with the sartorial sophistication of its era. The President bracelet, with its signature five-link design, adds a layer of understated grandeur, ensuring the watch sits comfortably on the wrist while maintaining a sense of distinction. At its core, the watch houses the Caliber 2235, a self-winding movement celebrated for its precision and reliability. This mechanical heart, certified as a chronometer, ensures the Datejust 31 not only meets but exceeds the standards of accuracy expected from a luxury watch. The sapphire crystal, paired with a water resistance of 100 meters, underscores the blend of practicality and artistry that defines Rolex’s approach to horology. This timepiece is for the discerning individual who values heritage, craftsmanship, and subtlety. It suits occasions where presence matters—whether at a formal dinner, a private collection, or as a quiet testament to the passage of time. Its design speaks to those who prefer their luxury to be enduring, not ostentatious, and who recognize in the Datejust 31 a legacy as much as a watch.

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.

178288-0016 is one of 38 executions of the 178288 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a black dial and a yellow gold case.

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

178288-0001 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold

178288-0007 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

178288-0010 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black · Yellow Gold

178288-0011 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold

178288-0012 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold

178288-0021 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

178288-0025 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold

178288-0028 · 31 mm

+ 29 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