27th Cartier Prize for Watchmaking Talents of Tomorrow

Cartier’s pioneering Prize was launched by the Institut Horlogerie Cartier in 1995. Each year, young horologists are invited to reinterpret a movement to reflect a theme. This year’s movement was the Cartier 012, for a carriage clock, while the chosen theme was “Magic of the Senses”.

Cartier’s Manufacturing Director Karim Drici commented on Cartier’s “commitment to stand alongside the men and women who wish to enter this compelling profession, and who will form the next generation of watchmakers.”

For the first time, prizes were presented at a public ceremony held in January at the Musée International d’Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The 11 finalists hailed from Switzerland, France, Germany and Belgium, and were shortlisted based on sketches, filmed and written presentations.

The competition was open to third- and fourth-year watchmaking students and to first- and second-year students in vocational training. Each shortlisted candidate had 80 hours over two months to make their timepiece, with the support of a mentor.

Marta Maziers

La Reine du Temps

Hugo Mandrillon

Oeil du Temps

Valentine Gredzynski

Tree

Three prizes were awarded in two categories. First prize in the Apprentices category went to Marta Maziers for La Reine du Temps, with a bee-inspired aesthetic. First prize in the Technicians category was presented to Hugo Mandrillon for L’Oeil du Temps, a telescope that plays on optical effects. The Jury’s Special Prize was given to Valentine Gredzynski for her trompe l’oeil Tree.

The judging panel comprised Nathalie Marielloni, Assistant Curator at the Musée International d’Horlogerie; Roy Davidoff, specialist in collectible vintage watches; Pascal Ravessoud, Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie Vice President; Pascale Lepeu, Director of the Cartier Collection and Kari Voutilainen, independent watchmaker.

The Young Talent Competition F.P. Journe and The Hour Glass

Introduced in 2015, F.P. Journe’s Young Talent Competition, in partnership with The Hour Glass, identifies and supports the world’s most promising young watchmakers. Candidates are selected on criteria of technical accomplishment, design, originality and craftsmanship. Each candidate is required to independently design and produce a timepiece or horological construction.

This year’s winner is Alexis Fruhauff, age 29 and a 2022 graduate of Lycée Diderot in Paris, for his Pendule à Seconde. This highly complex piece, inspired by the work of Antide Janvier, displays both traditional and innovative approaches.

As its maker explains, the Pendule à Seconde “was conceived from a blank page. No component was reused from a previous project and the tools themselves were purpose-designed and manufactured. Work extended over a three-year period, alongside my studies. The regulator was built in a traditional way, mixing modern and classical techniques of hand-filing, turning, milling and machining. All components are removable, making servicing, transmission or later decoration easier.

Alexis Fruhauff

The movement, which is suspended on a bracket, operates with a lost-beat pivoted detent escapement, inspired by the work of French watchmaker Paul Garnier. The pins are machined from Hardiall®, a self-lubricating, lightweight and highly wear-resistant modern alloy. The balance wheel, mounted on an Invar stem, is removable. It features a system of screw-in bobs and a fine-pitch dead point adjustment, enabling extremely precise regulation. The gear train was entirely hand-crafted. Pinions were cut, hardened, blued and polished with boxwood, then turned between centres to guarantee concentricity.”

Pendule à Seconde

The cherrywood case, inspired by cases made for Antide Janvier, was designed with the assistance of Stéphane Girardot, a Parisian specialist in antiquarian timepieces, so as to “respect the proportions of late eighteenth-century French clocks.”

This impressive creation earned Alexis Fruhauff a grant of CHF 50,000 to invest in tools and finance a future project. The judging panel was composed of Philippe Dufour, Andreas Strehler, Giulio Papi, Marc Jenni, Michael Tay, Elizabeth Doerr and François-Paul Journe.

Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives

Who will be next? After a successful first edition in 2024, eyes are on the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives. Its perimeter and criteria are broader than those of the Cartier and F.P. Journe competitions, being open to all independents, who can be entrepreneurs at the head of their own brand, artisans at the workbench or designers, based anywhere in the world.

This biennial prize “celebrates creative talent, savoir-faire and innovation” in technique, design and craftsmanship. Candidates can be in the early stages of their career or more experienced.

Raúl Pagès

The debut edition enjoyed resounding success, attracting more than a thousand applicants from 15 countries. The winner, announced in January 2024, was Swiss watchmaker Raúl Pagès, who impressed the judges with his RP1 - Régulateur à Détente watch. “The prize is a unique opportunity for these remarkable candidates to showcase their unique concepts and extraordinary creations,” noted Louis Vuitton Director of Watches Jean Arnault.

RP1 - Régulateur à Détente

In February 2026, the five finalists for the second edition will present their work to a committee of experts. The winner will be announced at a private reception in their honour, hosted by Louis Vuitton. He or she will receive a €150,000 grant and will benefit from a one-year mentorship at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.

In addition, specialists from Louis Vuitton and La Fabrique du Temps will offer their expertise in communication, intellectual property, marketing, industrial strategy and financial management: disciplines that are not always a natural fit for creatives but ultimately determine the long-term success of a brand.