Not too long ago, if you wanted an affordable “flyer” GMT watch — one with an independently adjustable local hour hand that makes updating the time when traveling a cinch — your options were fairly limited. Sure, there is the Rolex GMT-Master II as well as various Travel Time models from Patek Philippe — the classic models in this category — but these aren’t the province of horological novices, nor are they particularly affordable.
Thankfully, several companies such as Miyota have begun offering GMT movements equipped with independently adjustable local hour hands to microbrand clients, allowing these small operations to build flyer GMTs at roughly the $1,000 mark. One such company is newcomer J.M. LeBoy, whose debut model the Bedouin GMT is inspired by the nomadic Arab tribes of the Middle East who, for centuries, have maintained their traditional lifestyle by following their herds across the desert.
The brainchild of Jake LeBoy, an American entrepreneur and Marine Corps veteran, the Bedouin is a distinctly handsome, well-designed travel watch available in two configurations for $750, with preorders opening on Wednesday, February 5. If the idea of an “Eastern Arabic” dial — one with the Indo-Arabic numeral system used in much of the Arab world — is appealing, the Bedouin is one of very few GMTs that uses it for both the dial indices as well as the bezel indices and the date wheel. It’s also a highly considered watch, from the sumptuous leather strap to the excellent packaging. Let’s dig in.

The Basics
So the J.M. LeBoy Bedouin is a sub-$1,000 flyer GMT — what’s the big deal? Having an independently adjustable local hour hand — aka the watch’s main hour hand — means that when you land in your destination, you can quickly update the local time. On “caller” GMTs, the standard design for many inexpensive microbrand models, the GMT hand is independently adjustable. These are great for quickly updating a second time zone, but slightly less convenient when traveling. Ultimately, though both are supremely useful, it’s the flyer system — as pioneered by Rolex in its GMT-Master II platform — that’s considered a “true” GMT by many collectors. The Bedouin offers this functionality via the automatic Miyota cal. 9075 movement.
The Design
What differentiates the Bedouin from similar fare? The inspiration here is very clear: Jake LeBoy wanted to honor the nomadic Bedouin tribes of the Middle East via his GMT watch, and to that end, the dial is a beautiful, subtly textured sand color. The cardinal indices, meanwhile, are either Eastern Arabic or Arabic (aka Western-style) numerals — but rather than implementing them in a conventional script, the latter are executed in a custom-designed typeface that matches that of the Eastern Arabic indices, making for a uniform look across both watches. The Eastern Arabic variant also uses that same numerology for its bezel and date window, and the Western-style dial is similarly cohesive. (If any of this is confusing, consult the images for more clarity.)
Once upon a time, certain Middle Eastern governments and monarchs ordered custom-dialed watches from the likes of Rolex and other makers, some of which featured Eastern Arabic indices. This practice has been revived of late, with even microbrands dipping their toes into the water by issuing small runs of Eastern Arabic-dial timepieces. Certain makers have even begun manufacturing limited-edition GMTs using this script, of which the Bedouin is the latest. The Bedouin’s flyer movement and 96-click bezel — whose fine resolution allows for accurate timekeeping in locations that use quarter-hour time zones — as well as its sub-$1,000 price point, however, help differentiate it in a crowded market.

The Dial
Beyond the sand-colored, textured background and the Eastern Arabic or Arabic cardinal indices, the Bedouin features faceted, applied stainless steel trapezoidal indices which are polished and given luminous triangular tips. (This is a cool touch that requires a careful, up-close look at the dial to observe.) An outer, open minute track is rendered in dark blue dashes and squares for the five-minute indices, and blends well with the typeface color and bezel color. The date window, meanwhile, also trapezoidal, is positioned at 6 o’clock, while the handset is a sort of hybrid, lumed dauphine-sword variety with an arrow-tipped GMT hand and a longer arrow-tipped sweep seconds hand.
The “J.M. LeBoy” wordmark is placed below the 12 o’clock index in title case in attractive blue script, while the model name, “Bedouin,” is rendered in lower case above the date window. The typeface used here is one of my few gripes with the watch: Its wispy design feels a bit too “Aladdin,” its on-the-nose look conflicting with the more business-like typeface used in the brand logo. In my opinion, the Bedouin inspiration is conveyed sufficiently through the sandy dial and the Eastern Arabic (or Eastern-inspired Western Arabic) numerical script, giving little need for the slightly cartoonish “Bedouin” typeface. Still, the script is small enough that it likely wouldn’t be a make-or-break detail for most buyers.
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J.M. LeBoy hits all the right “tool watch” notes in its 39mm 316L stainless steel housing: Featuring a brushed midcase with slab sides and polished lugs, it boasts a large screw-down crown with a concentric-circle pattern that provides ample grip when adjusting the time zones and date, or when hand-winding the movement. The stainless steel bezel is where the Bedouin truly shines with respect to its attention to detail: Its blue sapphire insert has 96-click resolution, meaning that the watch can track a second time zone in 15-minute offsets. (Handy for traveling to Nepal!) With smooth, bi-directional action, it’s a cinch to use and a pleasure to operate, and its indices — particularly the diamond-shape pip at 12 o’clock — glow nicely in the dark thanks to the use of BGW9 A-grade Super-LumiNova.
The caseback, meanwhile, is left intentionally sparse so that the user can engrave it: The words “GMT,” “AUTOMATIC,” “J.M. LEBOY” and “20 ATM” ring a polished inner section left blank for this purpose along a flanking, brushed outer section with 12 sides. Viton gaskets ensure 200m of water resistance, which is plenty for a GMT at this price point.

The Bracelet
The Bedouin comes on a cool stainless steel multi-link bracelet with a 20mm to 16mm taper, brushed outer links, and neat, polished central “scale” links in rectangular form with a raised, pyramidal surface. The watch also ships with a screwdriver for removing or adding links, while the bracelet attaches at the watch’s lugs via an easy-to-use quick-release system. The push-button clasp, inscribed with “J.M. LEBOY,” features an on-the-fly quick-adjustment system that allows the wearer to lengthen it by up to 7 mm. Comfortable and handsome, the bracelet matches the mixed finishing on the case, making for a seamless look that complements the watch head and offers some visual interest without becoming too precious.
If you’d prefer a slightly more formal look to your Bedouin, you can order a handmade, sand-colored leather strap for an additional $75. Featuring cream-colored saddle stitching, tone-on-tone painted sides, dual leather keepers (one free-floating) and a brushed and polished pin buckle, it’s a beautiful object in its own right. A quick-adjust system allows one to easily swap it out for the bracelet, where it easily dresses the Bedouin up for a night on the town.
The Movement
Inside the Bedouin is the Miyota cal. 9075, an automatic GMT movement built in Japan. Owned by Citizen Group, Miyota’s calibers are favored by microbrands for their more affordable pricing (as opposed to their Swiss-made equivalents), but this doesn’t mean that the company skimps on features. As mentioned earlier, the cal. 9075 is one of relatively few third-party, automatic flyer GMTs on the market at the moment. Equipped with hacking and a 42-hour power reserve, it may not be the most advanced version of this movement type in the world, but it certainly gets the job done and allows for an affordable entry into the GMT market.

The Packaging
It’s worth taking a moment to acknowledge the packaging, as the attention to detail present on the watch also extends to the box, papers and accessories. Inside the black cardboard housing — which features a hidden drawer with the watch’s instructions, warranty plaque and screwdriver — is a real walnut box with a magnetic closure. Open this, and you’re greeted with a sand-colored, felt-lined surface that houses the watch and is inscribed with the brand name and model name in dual typographies that match the dial typefaces. The presentation is well done, and certainly not a given at this price point.
The Inspiration
The Bedouin, of course, is inspired by the nomadic Arab peoples of the Middle East. There’s a danger in naming a product after a people who aren’t your own, but Jake, who spent several years living and serving in the Middle East, seems to have been struck by this same concern. In asking several Bedouin their opinion as to the watch’s then-potential name, he says he was greeted with ample enthusiasm that their people — about whom, unfortunately, little is often known in Western countries — would be honored. The sand-colored dial, in reference to the deserts in which many Bedouin live and tend their herds, as well as the Eastern Arabic typeface, which is used throughout numerous Middle Eastern countries, pays them homage.
In the West, there’s a fascination with Eastern Arabic dials that can be explained any number of ways: The typography, centuries old, is “exotic” or foreign to our eyes, or simply “cool” looking; it’s representative of a culture distinct from our own and thus anthropologically interesting; and it often features on watches that are highly limited in nature, and so there’s an “insider” aspect to collecting these pieces. However one looks at it, these dials are growing in popularity again. But the association with nomadism that is particular to the Bedouin way of life lends this specific watch an interest that’s lacking in many other designs using Eastern Arabic typography.
In the case of a time-only watch, a Westerner’s unfamiliarity with Eastern Arabic numerals presents little issue, as the indices don’t effectively matter so long as one knows how to read an analog clock dial. On a GMT, this is a different story: A rotating bezel with 24 indices in a foreign numerical system necessitates either learning or memorizing that system, or simply not using the bezel at all. (Which is possible to do on a watch with an independently adjustable local hour hand.) Furthermore, as the date wheel is also in Eastern Arabic script on one of the watches, the user must either know or learn how to read said script in order to read the date. Or they can simply buy the standard variant.
The Catch
What we haven’t mentioned yet — and must — is that the preorder period for the J.M. LeBoy Bedouin is effectively a crowdfund. Much like buying, say, a pair of jeans on Gustin, the watch isn’t put into full production and orders are not fulfilled unless the project hits its total funding goal. In this case, funds from preorders, which open on February 5, are held in the business’s PayPal account until the end of the preorder period (30-45 days). If the watch has hit its funding goal at the end of this period, it’s put into production and orders are processed. If not, funds are returned to the buyers in a process that is fully protected by PayPal.
There was a time over the past decade or so where it seemed like everyone and their mother was crowdfunding a watch. Many of these were subpar products — quick cash grabs that never went anywhere. Some, however, have resulted in truly excellent models that launched highly successful brands. (Baltic, the Parisian microbrand making beautiful vintage-inspired watches, comes to mind.) And the J.M. LeBoy Bedouin is no slouch — having worn and examined the prototypes for several weeks, I can attest to their highly considered design and excellent build quality. Being the first model from a new brand, there could of course be teething issues, but as far as our test models are concerned, none made themselves apparent.
Whether you’re willing to lay down your hard-earned cash for a month or so while the crowdfund runs — and then another few months while the watch goes into full production — is of course a personal choice, but having passed on coverage of numerous similar campaigns before, we can safely say that this one stood out for the quality of the product and its accessories, to say nothing of its compelling design and backstory.
The Bedouin is a fun, thoughtful take on the GMT watch that deserves to “make it” onto digital shelves. Whether you’re interested in the model’s Middle Eastern inspiration, you’re searching for an affordable flyer GMT or you simply love its aesthetics, it surely won’t disappoint.
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