Datejust 31 Stainless Steel / Domed - Diamond / Blue - Roman / Jubilee

About This Watch

The 278344RBR-0036 Datejust 31 embodies the quiet authority of Rolex’s enduring design language, blending the brand’s mastery of materials with a refined, contemporary sensibility. Introduced in 2021, this iteration marries stainless steel with white gold, its diamond-set bezel catching light with a subtle, understated brilliance. The dial—a deep, velvety blue with a sunburst finish—serves as a canvas for the watch’s minimalist elegance, its stick indexes and hands rendered in sharp, precise lines that echo the clean geometry of the Jubilee bracelet. The 31mm case, slightly smaller than its predecessors, offers a more intimate presence without sacrificing the Datejust’s iconic proportions, a balance that has defined the collection since its 1945 debut. At its heart lies the Caliber 2236, a self-winding movement developed in-house by Rolex, renowned for its reliability and the brand’s signature in-house chronometry. The sapphire crystal, paired with a closed case back, ensures both clarity and protection, while the 100-meter water resistance underscores the watch’s practicality without compromising its formal demeanor. The blue dial, paired with the white gold and diamond accents, evokes a timeless sophistication that transcends trends, a hallmark of the Datejust’s legacy as a symbol of enduring craftsmanship. This watch is for those who value discretion as much as precision, a piece suited to the boardroom, the gala, or the quiet moments of everyday life. It speaks in the language of heritage, yet feels entirely of the present—a testament to Rolex’s ability to evolve while honoring its past.

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.

278344RBR-0036 is one of 34 executions of the 278344RBR base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a blue sunburst dial and a white gold, stainless steel case. Introduced in 2021.

Rolex

Black · White Gold, Stainless Steel

278344RBR-0001 · 31 mm

Rolex

Black · White Gold, Stainless Steel

278344RBR-0002 · 31 mm

Rolex

White

278344RBR-0005 · 31 mm

Rolex

White

278344RBR-0006 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · White Gold, Stainless Steel

278344RBR-0007 · 31 mm

Rolex

Grey · White Gold, Stainless Steel

278344RBR-0008 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · White Gold, Stainless Steel

278344RBR-0011 · 31 mm

Rolex

White · White Gold, Stainless Steel

278344RBR-0012 · 31 mm

+ 25 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