Vibe Shift: Are These Four Limited Editions From 2025 a Peek into Our Future?

The last days of 2025 brought some notable limited-edition and reworked releases from Beda’a, Simon Brette, Richard Mille, and Girard-Perregaux. Watches that, through the use of color or cutting-edge material (or both), potentially plant the seeds for a whole new aesthetic, at least when it comes to some of their best-known watches.

Will these four timepieces predict what watches will look like in 2026 and beyond? Let’s peer into the Watchonista Crystal Ball!

Although young, seeing as it was founded in 2016, the Doha-based brand Beda’a hasn’t been in business long enough to claim a “classic” watch. That said, it would be difficult for anyone to deny that its Eclipse has a signature look.

Introduced in 2024, the Eclipse features a minimalist 37mm × 8.1mm circular, almost pebble-like stainless steel case. Its unique dial features a fan-shaped aperture at 12 o’clock, through which a rotating disc displays the sweeping hour with a jump-hour aesthetic, while the minutes are displayed on the peripheral ring. It was an immediate hit, selling (according to the brand) all of its 200 pieces in just a few hours.
 

In December, Beda’a unveiled a new version of the Eclipse to commemorate Qatar National Day 2025 on December 18^th. And with just a few simple tweaks, managed to reignite the excitement of the first edition.

Limited to 50 pieces, the Eclipse Qatar Edition (CHF 2,700) replaces the original’s blue accents with a deep, eye-pleasing maroon – a nod to Qatar’s flag. Flip the watch over, and you can observe via the exhibition caseback that the rotor of its Sellita SW300 (with 56-hour power reserve) is also maroon.
 

Displays such as the Eclipse’s (that is to say, jump-hour apertures) are enjoying a niche notoriety now (think Cartier and Bremont), but the rich color and the Eastern-Arabic numerals on display in the hour aperture of this limited edition elevate the aesthetic.

True, the Eclipse’s hours are sweeping rather than jumping; still, the Eclipse Qatar Edition not only has a bit of a retro-futuristic vibe to it, but it also feels like it is building a bridge between Swiss watchmaking traditions and Middle Eastern design sensibilities.
 

For more information, check out the Beda’a website.

Some brands dress up their classics in trendy colors and new materials to make them feel fresh. However, with the addition of new hues and the liberal use of titanium, Richard Mille’s recently released RM 17-02 Tourbillon feels more like a butterfly evolving into its finest form.
 

Like a butterfly, the RM 17-02 Tourbillon is light, and as the case measures 31.25mm x 29.45mm (with a thickness of 4.65 mm), this watch sits nicely on the wrist. Moreover, the components of the tourbillon-equipped, manual winding calibre read like a chemistry textbook.

First, there’s its balance made of a high-performance beryllium bronze alloy called Glucydur that has exceptional dimensional stability, hardness, non-magnetic properties, and corrosion resistance; there’s the balance spring made of a special nickel-steel alloy known for its constant elasticity across temperatures called elinvar by Nivarox; it has KIF Elastor KE 160 B28 shock protection; and it sports a barrel shaft made from the anti-magnetic, nickel-free Chronifer (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S), which is a type of stainless steel enhanced with sulfur.
 

The engineering of the three-part case – available in three options: grade 5 titanium, black ceramic and red gold, and white ceramic and grade 5 titanium – has also been altered. In fact, according to the brand, it took a year to reconfigure the RM-02, with its most notable change being that the model no longer uses a casing ring; instead, the movement now sits on “chassis mounting rubbers (ISO SW) fixed by 4 grade 5 titanium screws.”

However, the material good comes from grade 5 titanium. Not only does this material provide lightness and protection, but the baseplate and bridges are PVD-treated in gold and blue to add a fun pop of color. It also helps make the openwork display easy-to-read.
 

For more information, check out the Richard Mille website.

During the greyest days of winter, we could all use more color and light. The Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans Stainless Steel delivers both.

Through a series of aesthetic and technical innovations, including an ALD coating that shifts from shimmering green to purple and integrated photoluminescence, this Chronomètre Artisans comes to life in the light.
 

For collectors who prize technique, Simon Brette uses these innovations as seriously as any ancient artisanal craft. It should also be noted that this is the first stainless steel version of the Chronomètre Artisans, which gives the timepieces a sportier expression.

This 39mm case surrounds a playground of technologies, including an iridescent Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) coating on the case, hands, and bridges. Moreover, depending on how the light hits it, the treated white gold shifts through a spectrum of hues. Then, in low light, the luminous treatment on the dial track and the HyCeram inserts in the hands make the watch light up.
 

Already sold out, the Chronomètre Artisans Stainless Steel was limited to 60 pieces and priced at CHF 81,000. For more information, check out the Simon Brette website.

Given that Girard-Perregaux has been in business since 1791, it’s no surprise that the Maison’s engineers like to solve age-old horological puzzles. One such quest was addressing the conundrum of constant force – the ability to transmit a steady stream of power from the mainspring to the regulating organ to provide performance and precision consistency. Fortunately for us, the results of their puzzle-solving are interesting, forward-thinking watches.
 

The brand’s first solution was the Constant Escapement L.M., which won the top prize at the GPHG in 2013. In 2023, the brand launched the Neo Constant Escapement, a technical and aesthetic masterpiece that combined the high-tech GP09200 movement, which required 13 patents to develop, with a 45mm ultra-luxe polished and satin-finished Grade 5 titanium case.
 

The two latest iterations of the Neo Constant Escapement further explore cutting-edge design and premium finishes: one reference in pink gold and a second housed in a composite case forged from carbon and silicium, materials that embody refinement, lightness, and technology.

The nowness of the Neo is emphasized by the symmetry of the openwork dial and the various treatments used on the components of the calibre GP09200-2680 in-house movement. For instance, the upper half of the dial is decorated with twin black PVD-coated barrels held under the anthracite NAC bridges. Meanwhile, the lower half has a peripheral ring treated with a purply-blue coating. From the back, the see-through sapphire caseback reveals an in-line going train and elegant bridge architecture held in place by bright pink jewels.
 

The pink gold version measures 45mm, while the composite carbon and silicium case, limited to just two pieces, is a wee bit larger at 45.35mm. It is further distinguished by its high-tech green silicium blade. Pricing starts at CHF 118,400 for the pink gold version.
 

For more information, check out the Girard-Perregaux website.