Datejust 31 Rolesor Yellow Domed Diamond / Jubilee / Steel Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its Rolesor iteration of yellow gold and stainless steel, embodies the quiet authority of a timepiece that has defined luxury watchmaking for generations. The 31mm case, a modern refinement of the Datejust’s original 1945 silhouette, is crowned with a domed diamond bezel that refracts light with subtle brilliance, while the Jubilee bracelet—featuring the signature five-link design—offers a balance of comfort and sophistication. The dial, a deep grey that evokes the patina of aged metal, is adorned with Roman numerals and stick hands, their simplicity a testament to the collection’s enduring commitment to legibility and elegance. The sapphire crystal, paired with a closed case back, ensures the watch’s mechanical heart remains protected, though its presence is never intrusive. At its core, the Datejust 31 is powered by the Caliber 2235, a self-winding movement with a 70-hour power reserve, certified for precision by the COSC. This technical mastery is married to the watch’s heritage as the first Rolex model to feature a date display on the dial, a innovation that has since become a hallmark of the brand. The 100-meter water resistance, while not a feature of the original Datejust, underscores its adaptability to contemporary lifestyles without compromising its classic character. This watch is for those who seek distinction without ostentation—a collector’s piece as much as a daily companion. It suits the boardroom, the gala, or the quiet moments between them, its presence a silent assertion of taste and tradition.

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.

178343-0022 is one of 34 executions of the 178343 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a grey dial and a yellow gold, stainless steel case.

Rolex

Green · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178343-0001 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178343-0002 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178343-0003 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178343-0004 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

178343-0005 · 31 mm

Rolex

White

178343-0006 · 31 mm

Rolex

White

178343-0007 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black

178343-0008 · 31 mm

+ 25 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