Datejust 31 Stainless Steel / Jubilee / Silver

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 2020 iteration, embodies the enduring elegance of a collection that has defined luxury wristwatch design for over seven decades. This particular reference, with its silver dial and stainless steel case, merges the Datejust’s legacy of refined simplicity with contemporary precision. The sunburst-finished dial, adorned with stick indexes and hands, exudes understated sophistication, while the domed stainless steel bezel and 31mm case diameter offer a balanced presence on the wrist. The Jubilee bracelet, a hallmark of the Datejust since its 1945 debut, adds a touch of timeless elegance, its five-link design harmonizing with the watch’s classic proportions. At its core lies the Caliber 2236, a self-winding movement celebrated for its reliability and craftsmanship, ensuring a power reserve of approximately 55 hours. The sapphire crystal, paired with a closed case back, underscores the watch’s durability and attention to detail, while its 100-meter water resistance makes it as practical as it is polished. This model, though modest in size, carries the weight of Rolex’s heritage—a brand that has long equated precision with prestige. Suited for the discerning individual who values discretion as much as distinction, the Datejust 31 is an unassuming yet unmistakable statement. It thrives in the quiet confidence of everyday wear, yet holds its own in the most formal of settings, a testament to the

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.

278240-0006 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

278240-0005 · 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