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

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 278243-0001 iteration, marries the brand’s enduring commitment to refinement with a contemporary elegance that feels both timeless and deliberate. The case, a harmonious blend of stainless steel and yellow gold, reflects Rolex’s mastery of metallurgy, while the domed sapphire crystal adds a subtle, modern curvature to the watch’s silhouette. At its heart lies a white dial, its gloss finish illuminating the crisp Roman numerals and slender stick hands with a quiet authority. This configuration nods to the Datejust collection’s legacy—first introduced in 1945 as a response to the demand for a self-winding chronometer with a date display—while the 31mm diameter ensures a presence that is neither overpowering nor diminutive. The Caliber 2236 automatic movement, with its 288 components and 48-hour power reserve, operates beneath a closed case back, a testament to Rolex’s dedication to mechanical precision and discretion. The watch’s 100-meter water resistance, paired with its Oyster case construction, underscores its practicality without sacrificing the aura of exclusivity that defines the brand. This timepiece is for those who value understated sophistication, seeking a watch that commands respect through its craftsmanship rather than ostentation. It is suited to the boardroom, the gala, or the quiet moments between, a companion that endures as effortlessly as it impresses.

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.

278243-0001 is one of 24 executions of the 278243 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a white gloss dial and a yellow gold, stainless steel case.

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

278243-0002 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

278243-0003 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

278243-0004 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

278243-0013 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

278243-0014 · 31 mm

Rolex

Green · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

278243-0015 · 31 mm

Rolex

Green · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

278243-0016 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel

278243-0017 · 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