Datejust 31 Stainless Steel Domed Diamond / Oyster / Bronze - Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31 stands as a refined testament to the brand’s enduring commitment to balancing tradition with innovation, its 178344-0017 variant distinguished by a harmonious interplay of materials and a dial that exudes quiet sophistication. The case, a fusion of stainless steel and white gold, is accented with a subtle domed diamond motif, while the bronze-toned Oyster caseback adds a touch of warmth to its otherwise austere profile. At its heart lies a brown sunburst dial, its depth and texture enhanced by the precision of Roman numerals and slender stick hands, each element contributing to a composition that feels both timeless and deliberately modern. This iteration of the Datejust 31, introduced as part of the collection’s ongoing evolution, retains the iconic silhouette that has defined the line since its debut in 1945, now reimagined for a contemporary audience seeking understated elegance. Powering the watch is the Caliber 2235, a self-winding movement celebrated for its reliability and precision, featuring a Parachrom blue balance spring and a certified chronometer rating. The 31mm case, paired with a 16mm lug width, ensures a presence that is neither ostentatious nor diminutive, while the 100-meter water resistance underscores its practicality without compromising its sartorial intent. The watch is suited for those who value discretion as much as craftsmanship—individuals who seek a timepiece that complements a tailored suit as effortlessly as it withstands the passage of time. It is an object for

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.

178344-0017 is one of 51 executions of the 178344 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a brown sunburst dial and a white gold, stainless steel case.

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

178344-0006 · 31 mm

Rolex

White

178344-0007 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black

178344-0008 · 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