Datejust 31 Stainless Steel Diamond / Jubilee / MOP - Roman

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 178384-0040 iteration, exemplifies the quiet authority of a design that has endured for decades while embracing subtle modern refinements. At its heart lies a dial of white mother-of-pearl, a material that captures and diffuses light with a soft, iridescent sheen, enhancing the watch’s understated elegance. The Roman numerals, meticulously applied, and the slender stick hands create a balanced composition that feels both classic and refined, while the diamond-set bezel adds a touch of discreet opulence. This particular reference, with its 31mm case and Jubilee bracelet, strikes a harmonious balance between the Datejust’s storied heritage and contemporary sensibilities, offering a more intimate presence on the wrist without sacrificing the collection’s iconic silhouette. The Datejust, introduced in 1945, has long been a symbol of timeless sophistication, and this model honors that legacy with its precise engineering and restrained luxury. The Caliber 2235 automatic movement, housed within a closed caseback, ensures reliable performance and a date display that remains discreetly positioned at the 6 o’clock mark. The sapphire crystal, paired with a water resistance of 100 meters, underscores the watch’s practicality without compromising its aesthetic purity. A watch of this calibre appeals to those who value subtlety over ostentation, preferring a timepiece that commands respect through craftsmanship rather than volume. It is suited to moments that demand quiet confidence—whether in the boardroom, at a gala, or as a companion to a well-tailored suit—where the interplay of light on the dial and the smooth curvature of the Jubilee bracelet speak volumes without needing to.

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.

178384-0040 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