Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr., better known as DDG, went from releasing diss tracks on YouTube to achieving double-platinum status with his single “Moonwalking in Calabasas” in 2020. His watch collection has grown in tandem, with his purchases becoming more extravagant in the wake of his mainstream success.  

DDG recently sat down with Robertino Altieri, the CEO and founder of L.A.-based dealer WatchGuys, at a $35 million mansion in Los Angeles to talk through his collection for the first time. The 28-year-old Michigan native’s first luxury watch was a yellow-gold Rolex Day-Date (Ref. 18238), or “Presidential,” which he paid approximately $20,000 for. “That’s all I could afford at the time,” he recalls. “I mean, that’s the classic watch though.” 

DDG has since moved on to highly complicated (and highly expensive) pieces by the likes of Richard Mille and Audemars Piguet. He has owned over five Richard Mille watches to date, adding that he buys them not purely for aesthetics but because they are a status symbol that sparks conversation. “It’s like a trophy,” he explains. “Like, hey, yeah, I’m getting money.”

Audemars Piguet is another favorite. His current daily beater is a rose-gold Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked, which he picked up about two years ago. He’s not a fan of the new Royal Pop that AP created in collaboration with Swatch, though. “It might end up being cool, but I’m not sure,” he says.

DDG is also into trading pieces. “A lot of the time I get bored with my watches,” he explains, “so I trade up and try to get something even better.” It’s been a steep learning curve, with a few bad decisions made early on. He traded that gold Presidential for a steel Datejust, for example. “Dumb,” he laughs, “but that was before I knew anything about watches.” He says he was also scammed out of a rare two-tone Royal Oak.

DDG’s watch knowledge has clearly increased, with his collection now estimated at over $1 million. Standouts include an iced-out Patek Philippe Nautilus (worth about $150,000), a Richard Mille RM 030 ($300,000), and a Richard Mille RM 61-01 “Yohan Blake” ($300,000). It will likely get bigger, too. “I’m just collecting as I go, man,” he adds. “If I make $100 million tomorrow, give me some more watches.”
You can check out the full interview with DDG on YouTube.