Datejust 31 Stainless Steel Domed Diamond / Jubilee / MOP

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31 has long been a benchmark of understated elegance, and the 178344-0006 exemplifies the collection’s enduring appeal with a dial that marries classic refinement to meticulous craftsmanship. The white mother-of-pearl surface, with its subtle iridescence, serves as a luminous backdrop for the gem-set indexes, each meticulously placed to enhance legibility without overpowering the dial’s serene composition. The stick hands, paired with the domed crystal and polished stainless-steel case, evoke the timeless aesthetic that has defined the Datejust since its introduction in 1945. This iteration, with its 31mm diameter and 16mm lug width, strikes a balance between presence and proportion, ensuring it remains versatile across occasions. At its core, the watch houses the Caliber 2235, a self-winding movement distinguished by its precise date mechanism and the hallmark reliability of Rolex’s in-house engineering. The closed caseback and sapphire crystal protect this mechanical heart while reinforcing the watch’s robustness, with 100-meter water resistance underscoring its practicality without compromising its sartorial appeal. The Jubilee bracelet, with its five-link design, further elevates the piece, offering a seamless union of comfort and sophistication. This watch is for those who value heritage and subtlety, seeking a timepiece that transcends trends yet remains perpetually relevant. It suits formal engagements, professional settings, or quiet moments of reflection—worn with the quiet assurance of a legacy carried forward.

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.

178344-0006 is one of 51 executions of the 178344 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a white dial.

Rolex

Brown · White Gold, Stainless Steel

178344-0001 · 31 mm

Rolex

Purple · White Gold, Stainless Steel

178344-0002 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · White Gold, Stainless Steel

178344-0003 · 31 mm

Rolex

White

178344-0004 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · White Gold, Stainless Steel

178344-0005 · 31 mm

Rolex

White

178344-0007 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black

178344-0008 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · White Gold, Stainless Steel

178344-0010 · 31 mm

+ 42 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