Datejust 31 Stainless Steel / Oyster / Silver

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, introduced in 2020, stands as a refined evolution of a collection that has defined timeless elegance since its debut in 1945. This particular iteration, with its 31-millimeter stainless steel case and domed bezel, embodies the quiet authority of a watch that balances tradition with modern precision. The silver dial, finished in a sunburst pattern, captures light with subtle gradation, while stick indexes and hands lend a minimalist clarity that underscores the Datejust’s enduring appeal. The Oyster case, paired with a sapphire crystal and a closed case back, ensures both durability and a seamless, uninterrupted aesthetic, reflecting Rolex’s mastery of engineering and design. At its core lies the self-winding Caliber 2236, a movement that marries reliability with sophistication, featuring a date display and a Parachrom balance spring for enhanced resistance to shocks and magnetic interference. The watch’s 100-meter water resistance and 16-millimeter lug width further emphasize its practicality without compromising its svelte proportions. As a member of the Datejust family, it carries the legacy of a timepiece that has long symbolized achievement and discretion, its design language rooted in the mid-20th century yet entirely contemporary in execution. This watch is for those who seek a companion that speaks in subtleties—a piece as comfortable at a boardroom meeting as it is during a quiet evening stroll. It is not a statement, but a testament to the quiet confidence of its wearer.

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. 55 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.

278240-0005 is one of 18 executions of the 278240 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a silver sunburst dial and a stainless steel case. Introduced in 2020.

Rolex

Black · Stainless Steel

278240-0001 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black · Stainless Steel

278240-0002 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Stainless Steel

278240-0003 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Stainless Steel

278240-0004 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Stainless Steel

278240-0006 · 31 mm

Rolex

Pink · Stainless Steel

278240-0007 · 31 mm

Rolex

Pink · Stainless Steel

278240-0008 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · Stainless Steel

278240-0009 · 31 mm

+ 9 more variants in this family.

The 2236 is the Rolex movement inside more watches in this library than any other: 907, in the 28 mm Lady-Datejust and the 31 mm Datejust 31. It was the first Rolex caliber with a silicon hairspring. Introduced in 2014 in the Pearlmaster 34, it is a 20 mm automatic with a date, 31 jewels, a 55-hour reserve and a beat of 28,800 vph, certified by the COSC and then tested again by Rolex after casing to the Superlative Chronometer tolerance of two seconds a day. Its distinction is the Syloxi hairspring: silicon, immune to magnetism, etched to a patented geometry that keeps the spring concentric in every position, and paired with Paraflex shock absorbers. The larger Rolex calibers kept the Parachrom alloy spring; Syloxi did not reach a men's movement until the 7140 of 2023. The [2236 piece](/blog/the-rolex-2236-the-most-common-movement-in-this-library) sets out that history. In the library it powers 488 [Datejust 31](/brands/rolex/datejust-31) references, the seven-digit 2782xx generation of 2020, 399 [Lady-Datejusts](/brands/rolex/lady-datejust) of the 2791xx generation of 2015, 15 [Pearlmasters](/brands/rolex/pearlmaster) and 5 [Yacht-Master 37s](/brands/rolex/yacht-master). The [2235](/calibers/rolex-2235) is the 48-hour movement it replaced, the [2232](/calibers/rolex-2232) its no-date sibling for the Oyster Perpetual, and the [3235](/calibers/rolex-3235) its counterpart in the 36 mm and 41 mm cases.

906 other watches in the library run the Rolex 2236.

Rolex

Lady-Datejust 28 Rolesor Everose Diamond / Oyster / MOP

279381RBR-0014 · 28 mm

Rolex

Lady-Datejust 28 Rolesor Rose Diamond / Jubilee / MOP

279381rbr-0013 · 28 mm

Rolex

Lady-Datejust 28 Rolesor Yellow Domed / Oyster / MOP

279163-0014 · 28 mm

Rolex

Datejust 31 Stainless Steel / Yellow Gold / Diamond / Black MOP / Oyster

278383RBR-0023 · 31 mm