It took my breath away – and that doesn’t happen often.

Holding one of the weighty pendants made by Paul Forrest in my hand, watching the sparkle radiate in different ways under the lights of the New York City café as I turned my hand to view it from different angles, I found myself mesmerized.

And this wasn’t due to the top-notch gemstones forming a dazzling array of light on the rainy summer day; it was due to what I saw once I calmed my senses down enough to concentrate.

Heart’s Passion by Paul Forrest

I saw a heart beating: a golden heart truly beating . . . seemingly pulsing to a human rhythm.

The effect was astonishing.

The Swiss workmanship of Heart’s Passion

What attracted me to Paul Forrest’s Heart’s Passion even more than the motion of the heart was that the action is possible thanks to a patented movement very similar to a watch movement – a movement entirely crafted in Fleurier, Switzerland. At a workshop that crafts movements and modules for some of the most luxurious brands in the watch industry.

Heart’s Passion might not tell the time, but it has serious horological credentials.

Exploded view of the movement of Heart’s Passion by Paul Forrest

Caliber PF-001, as Paul Forrest has dubbed its movement, comprises 145 components made of steel, titanium, copper-beryllium, and German silver. In a relatively complex manner, which for all intents and purposes is similar to a watch, it transmits energy created by winding a mainspring through a gear train to a special cam. The cam makes one revolution at a leisurely pace of 0.8 times per minute thanks to a regulating system. It is the regulator’s gentle tempo that provides the rhythmic timing to the beating “heart.”

The cam is coated with a thin layer of friction-reducing Teflon (PTFE), while the winding system is limited in torque to prevent over winding; the movement has a power reserve of eight to ten hours. The movement is wound using a key that fits into the back of the pendant.

Heart’s Passion by Paul Forrest

The motions of the all-important cam remain vertical thanks to a ruby jewel pin with two symmetrically pivoting aluminum arms to support the heart lobes (lending the heartbeat symmetry). The lobes are guaranteed consistent spacing and balance thanks to guiding rods.

The clasp of Heart’s Passion (right) becomes the winding key

Paul Forrest refers to the winding key as the “key to your heart.” The key – which doubles as the clasp – slips smoothly into a one-way ratcheting system with no muss or fuss. It is the only component not made in Switzerland on this fascinating jewel. But we’ll forgive that as it is made in the world’s jewelry capital, Italy.

The creator: Paul Forrest Hartzband

Coming back to reality after falling prey to the hypnotic motion of Heart’s Passion, I listened with interest in that New York City café as Paul Hartzband took time out of his busy schedule to explain his passionate take on this exceptional piece of jewelry.

Heart’s Passion by Paul Forrest collection

Hartzband was looking for – and has definitively found – the bridge to span the gap between fine Swiss horology and beautiful jewelry. Having worked for many years in watch case and bracelet manufacturing, over the course of his long career this second-generation entrepreneur has registered a number of patents – so thinking outside the box and inside the heart seems to have come quite naturally to him.

Diamond-set case band of Heart’s Passion by Paul Forrest

Nonetheless, the Paul Forrest brand’s Heart’s Passion is his first foray into jewelry. And, as he excitedly explained, it took him two years to get his creation just right before embarking on the arduous path toward making it known and getting it to consumers.

And as someone in the approximate target consumer group for this oeuvre, I can say that it was worth all the trouble Hartzband went to to get it just right: its mesmerizing mechanics have stolen the key to my own heart.

Heart’s Passion by Paul Forrest

For more information, please visit www.paulforrestco.com.

Quick Facts Paul Forrest Heart’s Passion
Case: 18-karat pink, white or yellow gold in heart or medallion style, 35 components, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, water resistant to 5 atm; variety of jewels available
Movement: Caliber PF-001, wound by 18-karat gold key, 40 bearing jewels, 8-10 hours’ worth of power reserve; 145 components (81 base movement, 64 module)
Function: 36-part beating heart decorated with a variety of jewels available
Price: starting at $19,000 and continuing upward to $45,000 depending on jewel settings