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

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 278241-0003 iteration, embodies the enduring elegance of a collection that has defined luxury wristwear for over seven decades. This particular reference marries the timeless allure of rose gold with the robustness of stainless steel, a pairing that balances refinement and resilience. The dial, a deep chocolate brown with a sunburst finish, exudes quiet sophistication, its Roman numerals and slender stick hands adding a sense of restraint that complements the watch’s overall restraint. The domed sapphire crystal, a hallmark of Rolex’s Oyster case, enhances the dial’s depth while reinforcing the watch’s durability, a legacy of innovation that has long characterized the brand. At its core, the Datejust 31 is powered by Rolex’s in-house Caliber 2236, an automatic movement celebrated for its precision, reliability, and the subtle ticking of its blue spring barrel—a signature detail that underscores the watch’s mechanical integrity. The 31mm case, with its 16mm lug width, strikes a harmonious balance between presence and proportion, ensuring the watch feels both substantial and unobtrusive on the wrist. This is a timepiece for those who value understated craftsmanship and heritage, suited to moments that demand both formality and quiet confidence. Whether worn for a gala or a quiet evening, it speaks to the discerning owner who appreciates the marriage of tradition and modernity in a design that remains, above all, timeless.

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.

278241-0003 is one of 24 executions of the 278241 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a brown sunburst dial and a rose gold, stainless steel case.

Rolex

White · Rose Gold, Stainless Steel

278241-0001 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Rose Gold, Stainless Steel

278241-0002 · 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