Datejust 31 Stainless Steel Diamond / Jubilee / MOP - Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31 has long been a benchmark of timeless elegance, and the 178384-0012 exemplifies the collection’s enduring appeal with its refined balance of tradition and craftsmanship. At its heart is a dial of pure white mother of pearl, its iridescent sheen subtly shifting under light, framed by sleek Roman numerals and slender stick hands that exude quiet precision. Encased in polished stainless steel, the watch’s 31mm diameter strikes a harmonious proportion, while the Jubilee bracelet—characteristic of the Datejust lineage—offers a secure yet comfortable fit. The sapphire crystal, paired with a closed case back, ensures durability without compromising the watch’s classic silhouette, a design language honed over decades of evolution. Under the hood, the Caliber 2235 automatic movement delivers the reliability and accuracy expected of a modern Rolex, its performance underscored by the brand’s mastery of in-house engineering. This reference, while rooted in the Datejust’s mid-20th-century heritage—a model introduced in 1945 as a symbol of accessible luxury—carries a contemporary elegance that resonates with discerning wearers. Its understated sophistication makes it equally at home in formal settings or as a discreet companion to everyday life. For those who value heritage without ostentation, the 178384-0012 is a testament to the quiet confidence of a watch that needs no embellishment. It suits the individual who appreciates the marriage of precision and tradition, worn with the assurance that comes from owning a piece of horological history.

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.

178384-0012 is one of 52 executions of the 178384 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a white dial.

Rolex

Silver · White Gold, Stainless Steel

178384-0001 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · White Gold, Stainless Steel

178384-0003 · 31 mm

Rolex

White

178384-0004 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black

178384-0005 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · White Gold, Stainless Steel

178384-0006 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · White Gold, Stainless Steel

178384-0007 · 31 mm

Rolex

Pink · White Gold, Stainless Steel

178384-0009 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · White Gold, Stainless Steel

178384-0010 · 31 mm

+ 43 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