If you’ve ever Googled “hot guys with beards” (guilty), you’ve likely beheld the fine furry visage of Ben Dahlhaus, the new face of luxury watchmaker Brathwait, a Brad Pitt doppelgänger and perhaps the most elusive viral sensation of all time.
Here’s what we know: he’s stunning, has ear gauges, is Swedish and may be roughly 20 years old. (His Facebook fan page generously offers a nationality and the evocative tidbit “dropping pants since 1994.”)
Curiously, little else is known about the burly gentleman, whose “sad face” has started a minor phenomenon.
Despite the 2,300 and counting Facebook likes, a Buzzfeed ode, a Daily Mail dish, a YouTube tribute, several Reddit forums, 14 solo Pinterest boards and an infinite stream of images on Tumblr, the model has no known casting shots, no agency comp card, no models.com profile and — most alarmingly — no mention on The Fashion Spot, where every aspect of every model’s existence is meticulously chronicled by obsessive stans.
In fact, the entire Dahlhaus situation is predicated on about six widely circulated photographs, all taken by one equally enigmatic photographer, Esra Sam, who’s yet to respond for comment.
There are only two explanations for this obscure object of desire.
a.) He’s a hologram/Joss Whedon-esque lab experiment (“Dahlhaus,” i.e., “Dollhouse.”) Think about it . . .
b.) He’s a very real, emotionally delicate recluse uninterested in the trappings of superficial Internet fame.
Take your pick. Either way, looks like there’s a case for beard transplants after all.