Singer Bjarne Brøndbo spotted wearing a Rolex

Caught onstage at what appears to be an outdoor festival, D.D.E. lead singer and accordion virtuoso Bjarne Brøndbo commands the stage in his signature casual style — and sharp-eyed observers will note a gleaming Rolex Datejust peeking from his wrist. It's a low-key flex from one of Norway's most commercially successful artists, whose band has sold millions of records in the Nordic market.

The watch in question is a Rolex Datejust 36 in Oystersteel, identifiable by its 36mm Oyster case, distinctly fluted bezel in white gold, and the instantly recognizable five-row Jubilee bracelet — the same bracelet that debuted alongside the original Datejust in 1945. The dial is a rich blue, finished with applied baton hour markers and a clean date window at 3 o'clock framed by Rolex's cyclops lens. The combination of blue dial, fluted bezel, and Jubilee bracelet is arguably the most iconic Datejust configuration in existence. The reference aligns most closely with the 126200 (current generation, post-2020) or its predecessor the 116200, both powered by in-house Rolex movements — the Cal. 3235 and Cal. 3135 respectively — offering approximately 70 and 48 hours of power reserve.

The Datejust 36 occupies a fascinating position in the collector world: it is simultaneously Rolex's most accessible and most overlooked reference among hardcore enthusiasts, yet it remains the global bestseller year after year. Its versatility — equally at home in a boardroom or at a Norwegian outdoor festival — is precisely its enduring strength. The blue-dial fluted-bezel Jubilee configuration is a perennial grail for entry-level collectors.

Bjarne Brøndbo has led D.D.E. to extraordinary commercial heights in Norway since the early 1990s, with the band's blend of country, folk, and dansebandmusikk earning them a near-cult following. That Brøndbo opts for a classic, understated Rolex rather than something flashier speaks to the same authenticity that defines D.D.E.'s music.

On the secondary market, the stainless Datejust 36 in blue-dial configuration trades at or just below retail, making it one of the few Rolex references where patience at an authorized dealer is still a viable strategy. Retail sits around $7,250 USD for the current 126200, with grey market pricing hovering close to that figure — a rarity in today's Rolex landscape.