Datejust 31 Stainless Steel Diamond / Oyster / Bronze - Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 178384-0026 iteration, marries the enduring elegance of the Datejust collection with a contemporary interplay of materials and color. The dial’s warm bronze hue, a deliberate departure from the collection’s traditional gold tones, exudes a quiet sophistication that complements the case’s combination of polished white gold and stainless steel. This juxtaposition of metals and the dial’s patina-like finish evoke a sense of timelessness, while the Roman numeral indexes and slender stick hands reinforce the Datejust’s legacy as a benchmark for classic horology. The sapphire crystal, paired with a closed case back, ensures both durability and a seamless, uninterrupted aesthetic, a hallmark of Rolex’s Oyster case design since 1926. At its core, the watch is driven by the Caliber 2235, a self-winding movement with a certified chronometer rating, offering precise timekeeping and a 70-hour power reserve. The 31mm case, slightly smaller than its predecessors, maintains the Datejust’s signature wearability, making it as suitable for a formal dinner as it is for a day spent in the city. The bronze dial, though unconventional, is a deliberate choice that nods to the patina of aged metals, adding depth and character that evolve with the watch over time. This piece is for the discerning collector who values subtlety over ostentation, and for those who seek a timepiece that balances heritage with modern sensibilities. It is a companion for moments that demand both presence and restraint—whether on the wrist of a seasoned connoisseur or as a quiet statement of craftsmanship.

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.

178384-0026 is one of 52 executions of the 178384 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a bronze dial and a white gold, stainless steel case.

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