A spoiler-free round-up of the watches of The Bear season 3, because every second counts
Borna BošnjakI’ll do my very best not to spoil any parts of the latest season of hit show The Bear, but thanks to a personal inability to accurately judge what’s a spoiler and what isn’t, read on with caution. Saying that The Bear’s overarching theme (other than cooking, duh) is time is not too much of a spoiler, I think, and that’s good news for us watch nerds. Frequent viewers will have noticed the artsy shots of ominous digital clocks in the backgrounds of crucial scenes, glowing red and warning of impending disaster, but The Bear’s third season is a lot more subtle about its relationship with time.
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Whether on the wrists of world-leading chefs making cameos or fan-favourite fictional characters, we were treated to numerous close-ups of wristwatches in this season, and they make more sense than you’d think. I know I found it hard not to pep up every time a watch was shown on screen, much to the dismay of my girlfriend who I’m pretty sure is growing tired of watching any movie where watches may appear with me. So in an effort to air out my watch-spotting demons, I’m writing this article.
Chef Marcus Brooks – Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80
Marcus, the mild-mannered pastry chef decided to upgrade from his old G-Shock to the Tissot Gentleman, likely the first “nice” watch he bought for himself. The Gentleman is the perfect casting choice here, youthful and cool enough to go with Marcus’ personality, but also affordable to represent his journey in the world of fine dining.
Chef Luca – Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 41mm
Much like Marcus, chef Luca’s journey is told through his choice of wristwatch. Bare-wristed while staging, he eventually settles into an Omega Aqua Terra, though I can’t quite make out whether he went for the teak-dialled or new black lacquer variant.
In any case, it’s another inspired choice seeing as he’s still a young chef, but one with enough experience and at a point in his career when a luxury watch makes sense.
Chef David Fields – Breitling Super Chronomat 44 Four-Year Calendar
Undoubtedly the main asshole but also wristwear enigma of the show is psychopathic chef David Fields. Without giving away too much, all I’ll say is that his very punchable face is featured a few times in the new series, with glimpses at his wrist revealing a Breitling Chronomat of some sort. I’m almost certain it’s the Super Chronomat 44 Four-Year Calendar with a blue dial and bezel – and don’t let the name fool you – it’s merely Breitling’s adaptation of an annual calendar mechanism.
Cicero – Breitling Datora 42 Copper
Uncle Jimmy, the long-suffering main investor in Carmy’s project, returns in season three with his trusty salmon-dialled Breitling Datora 42. The watch actually fits Cicero’s character quite well – he’s not a sleazy loan shark, but you also don’t want to mess with him, hence something like a Patek might just be a tad too delicate.
Rolexes aplenty with chefs Terry, Boulud, and Keller
The first subtle nod comes in the first few minutes of the first episode, with a cameo of chef Daniel Boulud, founder of the eponymous, two Michelin-starred restaurant. On his wrist, we get a look at the two-tone Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116713LN – now discontinued in favour of the Jubilee bracelet variant. Chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry also makes an appearance, sporting another Rolex. Much like chef Boulud’s, Keller’s white gold Daytona 126519LN is his actual watch – a meta masterstroke by the props department.
In the defining moments of this season, chef Andrea Terry delivers what is perhaps the best bit of watch spotting in The Bear thus far. I won’t tell you exactly what it is, but Olivia Colman does sport a classic Rolex Submariner on her wrist, the same watch her character has worn in season two. With fans (myself included) already excited about the next season, all I can say is – enjoy watching, and let us know if you see any watches we’ve missed.