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Politician Iris Knobloch spotted wearing Rolex

At the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival, Iris Knobloch — the American-French executive who became the first woman to lead the festival's board in 2022 — took center stage alongside Harrison Ford to present the Palme d'Or. On her wrist, catching the stage lights with restrained elegance, sat a Rolex Datejust 31 in 18k yellow gold, a watch that speaks boardroom fluency rather than red-carpet showmanship.

The reference in question is almost certainly the 278248, the current-generation Datejust 31 introduced in 2018 as part of Rolex's realignment of its mid-size line. The 31mm Oyster case is rendered entirely in 18k yellow gold — no two-tone compromise — fitted here with a smooth, domed bezel rather than a fluted or diamond-set option. The champagne-colored dial carries applied index hour markers and the characteristic Datejust date aperture at 3 o'clock with a cyclops lens. The bracelet appears to be the classic Oyster, consistent with reference 278248. Movement inside is the Calibre 2236, a manufacture movement with a silicon Syloxi hairspring offering exceptional antimagnetic and shock resistance, running at 28,800 vph with a 55-hour power reserve.

The Datejust 31 occupies a fascinating position in Rolex's catalog. Larger than the 28mm Lady-Datejust yet more refined than the full 36mm, it functions as a genuinely gender-neutral proposition — a size that works as a dressed-down men's piece or a confident statement for women who prefer substance over feminized design clichés. In yellow gold, it references the original 1945 Datejust DNA without compromise.

Knobloch's choice is telling. As the steward of cinema's most prestigious institution, she gravitates toward understated power dressing, and the all-gold Datejust 31 embodies exactly that — heritage without nostalgia, luxury without excess. The champagne dial mirrored her gold-sequined gown with an almost choreographed precision.

On the grey market, all-yellow-gold Datejust references have held steady, typically trading at a modest premium over retail. The 278248 retails around $22,950 USD and commands approximately $24,000–$26,000 on the secondary market — strong demand, modest speculation, the hallmark of a classic.