Datejust 31 White Gold / Diamond / White - Roman / President

About This Watch

The Rolex Datejust 31 reference 278289RBR-0007 embodies the quiet authority of a timepiece that balances tradition with refined modernity. Its white gold case, polished to a luminous sheen, frames a dial of pure white, its gloss finish reflecting light with understated elegance. The bezel, adorned with meticulously set gemstones, introduces a subtle yet deliberate contrast to the dial’s simplicity, while Roman numerals and slender stick hands evoke the enduring aesthetic of the Datejust collection, first introduced in 1945 as a symbol of accessible luxury for the modern gentleman. The watch’s 31-millimeter diameter and 16-millimeter lug width ensure a presence that is neither ostentatious nor diminutive, a harmony of proportion that has defined the collection for generations. At its heart lies the Caliber 2236, an automatic movement distinguished by its precision and reliability, featuring a Parachrom balance spring and a Paramagnetic blue gold alloy balance wheel, ensuring resilience against magnetic interference and temperature fluctuations. The President bracelet, exclusive to this model, is a testament to Rolex’s mastery of metallurgy, its three-piece links hugging the wrist with a combination of comfort and sophistication. This watch is for those who value heritage as much as horology, whose discernment lies in the quiet confidence of a design that needs no embellishment. It is suited to moments that demand both presence and restraint—a black-tie affair,

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.

278289RBR-0007 is one of 16 executions of the 278289RBR base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a white gloss dial and a white gold case.

Rolex

Grey · White Gold

278289RBR-0006 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black · White Gold

278289RBR-0011 · 31 mm

Rolex

Silver · White Gold

278289RBR-0012 · 31 mm

Rolex

Pink · White Gold

278289RBR-0013 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · White Gold

278289RBR-0014 · 31 mm

Rolex

Green · White Gold

278289RBR-0015 · 31 mm

Rolex

Pink · White Gold

278289RBR-0016 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · White Gold

278289RBR-0017 · 31 mm

+ 7 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