by Elizabeth Doerr

I don’t know about you, but I have binged more than my fair share of Netflix during the great lockdown of 2020 (Tiger King, anyone?).

Coincidentally – or not – Tiger King and one of the new crown jewels of Netflix, American comedy series Community (2009-2015), have Joel McHale in common. While McHale only appeared in the 40-minute aftershow episode of Tiger King as an interviewer – Zooming from home and wearing an Apple Watch – in Community he stars as a sarcastic, narcissistic, overconfident former lawyer in his mid-30s who enrolls at a community college after being suspended from the bar for having a false bachelor’s degree. The lawyer character, Jeff Winger, quickly puts together a study group for his Spanish class comprising highly diverse individuals who become fast friends.

I was hooked after watching just a couple of episodes, very obviously in need of the laughs.

Joel McHale as Jeff Winger in ‘Community’ sporting a Bell & Ross BR 01-94 chronograph (photo courtesy NBC/Getty Images)

In the first and second seasons, Winger wore pretty obvious watches, big and ungainly, not particularly lawyer-like in my estimation. But in season three his wristwear changed perceptibly, and I quickly saw him sporting a Bell & Ross BR 01-94 chronograph. Which is when I decided to see what other watches he might be into.

A quick internet search turned up little, though I did read in a Hollywood Reporter article that he was turned on to finer watches by his stylist, who set him down his watch path toward horological attunement with a Ritmo Mundo strapped to his wrist . . . “That served as a gateway drug to pricier specimens, beginning with a Bell & Ross [BR 03-92] Military watch that stole McHale’s heart,” the article went on to explain.

It even went on to say that after splurging on that watch – the most expensive one he’d bought to that point – he lost it. But he loved it so much that he bought it again.

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Military

McHale and his Jeff Winger persona have such a similar style that the comedic actor apparently wears his own watches in character on the show.

Three Bell & Ross watches McHale has been spotted wearing

I first noticed McHale wearing the Bell & Ross BR 01-94 chronograph in season three of Community.

Bell & Ross BR 01-94 chronograph

In 2005, Paris-based Bell & Ross shot a bullseye into the taste of the contemporary watch-buying public with its unique BR 01 Instrument collection, which has stolen the spotlight for – and wrists of – both aviation fans and watch aficionados looking for something different. With its large circle-in-a-square style, the BR 01 grabs all the attention and directs it to the wrist.

If you happen to be a pilot, you may know that the design was inspired by cockpit instruments in small aircraft; it took a lot of design skill to successfully transfer this look to the wrist. Since its introduction there have been numerous attractive variations.

Joel McHale wearing Bell & Ross’s BR 01-94 chronograph (photo courtesy Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

This stainless steel chronograph is large, coming in at 46 x 46 mm. Looking at the photo above, you’ll note it’s hard not to see. Luckily so are the numerals, indices, and hands thanks to luminous material against the black background of the dial.

Bell & Ross BR 01-92

McHale has also been spotted wearing the non-chronograph version, the Bell & Ross BR 01-92, in stainless steel as well.

The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Military in a matte black PVD-coated stainless steel with a military-green dial was the first Bell & Ross timepiece he bought for himself. Twice.

Joel McHale wearing his beloved Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Military on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno in 2011 (photo courtesy NBC/Getty Images)

It’s a sporty casual timepiece that he still manages to pair pretty well with a suit as evidenced by a 2011 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. However, as you can see, it is hard to hide the majestic size of this piece under a cuff – which is not something I think he worries about necessarily.

Incidentally, Tom Hanks has the same watch. And he also doesn’t seem to mind wearing the sporty timepiece with a suit.

Tom Hanks sporting a Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Military with a suit (photo courtesy Saul Loeb/Getty Images)

Many thanks to our celebrity watch spotter, Nick Gould, for help with some of the details and images for this post.

Quick Facts Bell & Ross BR 01-94 chronograph
Case: 46 x 46 mm, stainless steel
Movement: automatic ETA Caliber 2894-A2, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency, 42-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date, chronograph
Price: €4,800

Quick Facts Bell & Ross BR 01-92
Case: 46 x 46 mm, stainless steel
Movement: automatic Caliber BR-CAL.302 (base Sellita SW300-1), 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency, 38-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Price: €3,300

Quick Facts Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Military
Case: 42 x 42 mm, black ceramic
Movement: automatic Caliber BR-CAL.302 (base Sellita SW300-1), 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency, 38-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date
Price: €3,400

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