The period of totality is the only phase when you do not need to use protective eyewear. You would be able to safely look directly at the eclipsed Sun, as long as your timing is precise.

https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety

It's during the partial/annular/penumbral phases when you use the protective eyewear, and those are lasting a couple of hours on each side.

But even protected viewing should be curtailed to a couple of minutes at a time.