Datejust 31 Yellow Gold / Fluted / Malachite / President

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 278278-0004 iteration, stands as a masterful synthesis of tradition and artistry, distinguished by its rare combination of yellow gold, malachite, and the iconic fluted bezel. The dial, a deep, lustrous green derived from malachite—a material historically favored for its natural beauty and durability—serves as a striking counterpoint to the warm hue of the 18ct yellow gold case. The fluted bezel, a hallmark of the Datejust collection since its introduction in 1945, adds a tactile and visual elegance, while the Roman numeral indexes and slender stick hands ensure legibility without sacrificing restraint. This model, part of a lineage that has defined luxury timekeeping for over seven decades, retains the Datejust’s signature balance of sophistication and wearability, refined to a 31mm diameter that honors both heritage and modernity. At its heart lies the Caliber 2236, a self-winding movement certified as a chronometer for its precision and reliability. The closed caseback, paired with a sapphire crystal, underscores the watch’s commitment to durability and understated craftsmanship. The President bracelet, with its seamless integration of gold and the signature five-link design, reinforces the Datejust’s reputation as a timepiece that marries formal elegance with everyday versatility. This watch is for the discerning collector who values subtlety over ostentation, and for whom horology is both an art form and a 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.

278278-0004 is one of 28 executions of the 278278 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a green gloss dial and a yellow gold case.

Rolex

Green · Yellow Gold

278278-0003 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold

278278-0009 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

278278-0010 · 31 mm

Rolex

Green · Yellow Gold

278278-0011 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold

278278-0016 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

278278-0017 · 31 mm

Rolex

Green · Yellow Gold

278278-0018 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

278278-0019 · 31 mm

+ 19 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.