Datejust 31 Yellow Gold / Diamond / Silver - Diamond / Oyster

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31, in its 278288rbr-0027 iteration, embodies the quiet authority of a timepiece that has defined luxury watchmaking for generations. With a 31-millimeter yellow gold case, this reference marries the enduring elegance of the Datejust collection—first introduced in 1945 as a symbol of accessible sophistication—with a contemporary refinement. The bezel, adorned with meticulously set gemstones, frames a silver dial finished in a sunburst pattern that catches light with subtle gradation, while diamond-set indexes and stick hands lend a crisp, minimalist clarity to the dial’s architecture. The Oyster case, paired with a sapphire crystal and 100-meter water resistance, underscores Rolex’s commitment to both precision and durability, ensuring this watch transitions seamlessly from formal occasions to everyday wear. At its heart lies the Caliber 2236, an in-house automatic movement that delivers the brand’s signature reliability, with a date display and a power reserve sufficient to sustain its function for nearly 48 hours. The Datejust 31’s heritage as a cornerstone of Rolex’s identity—its introduction of the date complication in 1953—resonates here, where tradition is reimagined through the interplay of yellow gold’s warmth and the icy precision of the dial’s design. This watch is for those who seek a timepiece that speaks in the language of understated mastery, its presence as enduring as the legacy it carries. It suits moments that demand both quiet confidence and the quiet assurance of a name that needs no embellishment.

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.

278288rbr-0027 is one of 15 executions of the 278288rbr base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a silver sunburst dial and a yellow gold case.

Rolex

Green · Yellow Gold

278288rbr-0003 · 31 mm

Rolex

Green · Yellow Gold

278288rbr-0004 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

278288rbr-0008 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

278288rbr-0010 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

278288rbr-0011 · 31 mm

Rolex

Champagne · Yellow Gold

278288rbr-0012 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · Yellow Gold

278288rbr-0013 · 31 mm

Rolex

Green · Yellow Gold

278288rbr-0014 · 31 mm

+ 6 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