Datejust 31 Stainless Steel Domed Diamond / Oyster / White

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 178344-0051 iteration, marries the enduring elegance of the Datejust collection with a refined interplay of materials and craftsmanship. The case, a harmonious blend of stainless steel and white gold, is crowned with a domed diamond bezel that catches light with quiet sophistication, while the white dial—simple yet commanding—serves as a canvas for the watch’s timeless design language. Stick indexes and hands, paired with a sapphire crystal, ensure clarity and legibility, embodying the precision that has defined Rolex since its founding. The Datejust collection, introduced in 1945, remains a benchmark for understated luxury, its heritage evident in the clean lines and robust Oyster case, which is water-resistant to 100 meters. At its core, the watch houses the Caliber 2235, an automatic movement celebrated for its reliability and the inclusion of a Parachrom blue balance spring, which enhances resistance to shocks and magnetic fields. This technical sophistication is paired with a seamless integration of traditional horology and modern engineering, a hallmark of Rolex’s enduring appeal. The 31mm diameter and 16mm lug width offer a balanced presence on the wrist, ensuring comfort without compromise. This timepiece is for those who value discretion as much as distinction—individuals who seek a companion for both formal occasions and the quiet moments of everyday life. It is a testament to the enduring allure of a watch that transcends trends, rooted in heritage yet ever-relevant.

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.

178344-0051 is one of 51 executions of the 178344 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a white 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