Datejust 31 Yellow Gold Diamond / Oyster / Silver Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its yellow gold and diamond iteration, embodies the quiet authority of a timepiece that has defined luxury watchmaking for generations. A descendant of the original Datejust introduced in 1945, this model retains the collection’s signature elegance while refining its proportions to a contemporary 31mm diameter—a size that balances tradition with modern sensibilities. The dial, a luminous silver sunburst, is framed by a gem-set bezel that catches light with subtle, deliberate precision, while the stick hands and Roman numeral indexes evoke a classicism that transcends trends. Encased in 18ct yellow gold, the Oyster case exudes understated refinement, its polished finish complemented by the scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and the watch’s 100-meter water resistance, a testament to Rolex’s enduring commitment to durability. At its heart lies the Caliber 2235, an automatic movement that combines Rolex’s mastery of in-house engineering with a date display that operates with quiet reliability. The movement’s precision and longevity are hallmarks of the brand’s philosophy, ensuring that every component—from the blue spring washers to the Parachrom balance spring—functions in harmony. This watch is for those who value discretion as much as craftsmanship, a piece that commands attention without demanding it. It is suited to the boardroom, the

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.

178288-0067 is one of 38 executions of the 178288 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a silver sunburst 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

Black · Yellow Gold

178288-0016 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold

178288-0021 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

178288-0025 · 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