Hands-On With The Bedaa Eclipse II

April 10, 2015

The name might ring a bell, but its not what you think. Bedat and Beda a are not the same. Bedat & Co is a Genevan watch brand For Women of Character.?Beda a is a London-based brand with Qatari roots, creating Swiss-made watches. Hader Al Suwaidi started his brand in 2016 to show that the Middle East region is not only a market for watches but also a place where watches originate from. In 2025, with engineer-designer Sohaib Maghnam working as CEO and chief designer, the brand has four collections in the catalog: Attrayant, Fortress, Angles, and Eclipse. The 2024 Eclipse, showing time through a dragging hour disc and mysterious minutes on the periphery of the dial, now has a successor. The Bedaa Eclipse II is an original regulator-style watch with a jumping-hour display and a one-of-a-kind character. The watch is a dressy, starlit timekeeper.The newest Eclipse shows a major similarity to the previous one: both watches show the hours digitally. But whereas the first version of the Eclipse didnt use any traditional hands, the Bedaa Eclipse II has two. The minutes and running seconds are indicated by two hands; the hours, however, are displayed digitally. The regulator-style layout of the watch is vertical, and this extends to the placement of the crown at 6 oclock.Hands-on with the Bedaa Eclipse IIWhat immediately shows is the thought behind this display and the attention to detail. Theres the multilayered dial, for instance. The minute hand turns above and the hour disc below a night-blue aventurine sub-dial mimicking a bright starlit night. A sub-seconds register sits beneath it to create a figure eight against a polished and satin-finished cream decor.Take a close look, and you ll see that the small seconds indicator on the lower half of the dial shows a rich textured finish with a circular-brushed pattern. The inspiration for the dial was not found in London, where the brands management is situated, but in Qatars desert. The motif mimics the windswept patterns of the desert sand, while the aventurine sub-dial brings to mind a clear night sky without any light pollution - not something you ll find in central London.The Bedaa Eclipse II features a modest 37mm 904L stainless steel case with a svelte 9.55mm thickness. While the basic shape of the polished and brushed watch is round, the long, prominent lugs give the watch a 47mm length, creating an elegantly sweeping, dynamic appearance. A voluptuous bezel acts as a counterweight to the stretched-out watch, ensuring the Eclipse II also looks robust. The proportions and shapes create a contemporary dress watch with a quirky twist, thanks to the crown at 6 oclock.Alligator or ostrich?The watch that came to Fratello HQ had a black alligator strap with a pin buckle. The pin buckle is great because a rather small watch like the Eclipse II deserves an understated buckle thats not too big and doesnt step into the limelight. Big and clumsy folding clasps sometimes do what they shouldnt. You can also get the Eclipse II on an ostrich leather strap, which I think would look better on this watch. That s not because I associate the ostrich with the desert. Rather, it s because its a bit more unusual than an alligator strap, and not being usual is one of the qualities of this timepiece. On the wrist, the Eclipse II can show its unusual character, packed in an easy-to-wear size, with flair and just the right amount of exuberance. The watch has serious independent Haute Horlogerie vibes and looks like it belongs in a higher price category. You might not get the same feeling when you look at the movement inside, but that movement keeps the price acceptable, and the watch will never be upside-down on your wrist, right? Maybe the Eclipse II is a gateway watch to adventurous, avant-garde watch creations from brands like MB&F, Urwerk, and De Bethune.Price and final thoughtsBy now, maybe you are curious about the price. I know I would be. What do you think the price is based on what youve read so far? Okay, the price of the Eclipse II is CHF 4,000. Based on the watchs looks and presence, thats fair. Looks-wise, it punches above its weight. I didnt want to reveal the price immediately, but when you know the movement inside is based on the Sellita SW300 with a jump-hour module from Dubois Depraz on top, it would lead you to expect a 3kC4k price range.There are two ways of looking at the automatic caliber BMJ-01, the name Bedaa uses for this watchs power source. You can see it as a letdown because an original, mildly extravagant, dressy, and avant-garde watch like the Eclipse II needs a movement in the same spirit. But you can also see the 4Hz caliber BMJ-01, with its 52-hour power reserve, stop-seconds mechanism, and a blackened rotor visible through the display case back, as a way of allowing a bigger audience to enjoy original and daring watchmaking. And despite the price, exclusivity is still guaranteed since the watchs production is limited to 100 pieces a year.What do you think? Is the Bedaa Eclipse II an unexpected yet very welcome dress watch 2.0, perfect for diversifying your collection and uplifting your style? I think the playful lines and moderate proportions paired with an expressive dial and digital hour display are like a fresh breeze, even if the shamal, a strong and dry northwesterly wind that blows across the Qatari desert, can reach scorching temperatures up to 55C (130F). Let me know your thoughts on this watch in the comments below.Watch specifications Brand Beda'a Model Eclipse IIReference BQE20525-37Dial Multilayered, regulator-style display in circular-brushed steel, cream-colored brass with striped motif, and aventurine with printed indexes and jump-hour windowCase Material 904L stainless steel with brushed and polished finishesCase Dimensions 37mm (diameter) 47mm (lug-to-lug) 9.55mm (thickness)Crystal SapphireCase Back Stainless steel and sapphire crystal, ee-through Movement BMJ-01 (Sellita SW300 base with Dubois Depraz module): automatic with manual winding and hacking, 28,800vph frequency, 52-hour power reserve, custom black rotorWater Resistance 3 ATM (30 meters)Strap Black alligator or ostrich (19mm width) with pin buckleFunctions Time only (jumping hours, small minutes at 12, small seconds at 6 oclock)Price CHF 4,000 Special Note(s) Limited production of 100 watches per year