Datejust 31 Stainless Steel/ Rose Gold / Domed / White - Roman / Oyster

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 278241-0001 iteration, exemplifies the quiet authority of a design that has endured for over seven decades. A harmonious marriage of rose gold and stainless steel, its case balances tradition with modernity, while the 31mm diameter offers a refined presence that feels both intimate and substantial. The white dial, finished with a luminous gloss, serves as a timeless canvas for the watch’s defining elements: the crisp Roman numerals and slender stick hands, which evoke the precision of early 20th-century horology. This particular reference, with its domed crystal and closed case back, retains the Datejust’s legacy as a symbol of understated sophistication, a collection first introduced in 1945 as the first self-winding waterproof chronometer wristwatch. At its core, the Datejust 31 is powered by Rolex’s in-house automatic movement 2236, a testament to the brand’s commitment to mechanical excellence. The movement’s smooth operation and reliable date display underscore the watch’s function as both an instrument of precision and a heirloom of enduring value. The sapphire crystal, paired with a water resistance rating of 100 meters, ensures durability without compromising the elegance of its construction. This watch is for those who value discretion as much as craftsmanship—executives, connoisseurs, and discerning individuals who seek a timepiece that transcends trends. It suits moments that demand quiet confidence, whether in boardrooms, at cultural events, or during the quiet hours of contemplation. The Datejust 31 is not merely worn; it is carried as a quiet assertion of legacy.

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.

278241-0001 is one of 24 executions of the 278241 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a white gloss dial and a rose gold, stainless steel case.

Rolex

White · Rose Gold, Stainless Steel

278241-0002 · 31 mm

Rolex

Brown · Rose Gold, Stainless Steel

278241-0003 · 31 mm

Rolex

Brown · Rose Gold, Stainless Steel

278241-0004 · 31 mm

Rolex

Rose · Rose Gold, Stainless Steel

278241-0005 · 31 mm

Rolex

Rose · Rose Gold, Stainless Steel

278241-0006 · 31 mm

Rolex

Rose · Rose Gold, Stainless Steel

278241-0009 · 31 mm

Rolex

Rose · Rose Gold, Stainless Steel

278241-0010 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Rose Gold, Stainless Steel

278241-0015 · 31 mm

+ 15 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