As Valentine’s Day approaches, Breguet Reine De Naples Coeur Eternal Love Limited Edition boasts a new invention: a hand in the shape of a changing heart
The curves of the heart expand or contract, as if by magic and very gently, as it makes its way around the elongated oval dial. This exclusive Coeur, or Heart edition, limited to 28 numbered pieces and accompanied by a matching clutch as its case, is reserved for a selection of Breguet boutiques.
The first wristwatch ever made – the model no. 2639 – was a treasure trove of ingenuity right from its origins in 1810. Breguet was inspired by this innovative watch and by the client, Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, who commissioned it, for its iconic contemporary collection.
Protected by several patents, an innovative mechanism changes the heart shape of the minute hand – off-centre at 6 o’clock – depending on its position on the oval dial. Its curves stretch as the hand moves across the top half of the dial, and become more rounded at the bottom.
The heart-shaped minute hand moves over a sapphire-crystal dial, lacquered in white for a very soft and subtle translucent effect. Its tip, marked by a subtle red heart, indicates the minutes on the hours chapter, punctuated by tiny hearts every five minutes.
For better readability, the quarter numerals are distinguished by their size and their outline, lacquered with vermilion. The hour, indicated by a drop of purple lacquer, appears in the centre through a window. The rose gold of the dial flange and bezel is set with 128 diamonds. The setting of the folding buckle, also in gold, echoes the brilliance of the case, amounting to a total of approximately 0.94 carats.
Equipped with an oval-shaped cam – mirroring the curves so characteristic of the Reine de Naples – the mechanism allows each of these arms to move at different speeds. This innovation, created exclusively for the Reine de Naples, is protected by four patents.
The sapphire-crystal caseback of the rose gold case reveals the movement of the calibre, the 78A0. On the gold rim, the individual number of the watch is engraved, recorded in the archives of the House of Breguet, which have been maintained since the end of the eighteenth century.
