reated in 1995 by the Cartier Watchmaking Institute, the Cartier Prize for Watchmaking Talents of Tomorrow honours apprentice watchmakers in their third and fourth years of initial vocational training, as well as first‑ and second‑year students on higher vocational watchmaking courses from Switzerland, France, Belgium and Germany. The theme this year is “Shifting the Balance: Reading and Perceiving Time Differently.” This edition invites watchmakers to explore fresh new visions of our relationship with time.

Since it was founded in 1847, Cartier has continuously promoted the transmission and preservation of its expertise and fostered the development of new skills while honouring its traditions of excellence.

In 1993, to help train the watchmakers of tomorrow, the Maison inaugurated its Watchmaking Institute in Switzerland. Open to apprentices and artisans from Cartier’s Manufactures, it offers courses in watchmaking, polishing, micro‑engineering and mechanics. This exceptional centre has since become a reference in seeking out and supporting young watchmaking talent. Nearly 200 apprentices have trained there, and each year around one hundred staff members deepen their expertise through dedicated courses and placements.

The Prize was created in 1995 as the natural extension of this initiative, aimed at supporting and guiding tomorrow’s watchmaking talents. Each year, the Prize invites young watchmakers to reinterpret a movement around a specific theme. The awards recognise both technical mastery and creative boldness, celebrating innovation at the heart of the watchmaking tradition.

“For thirty years, the Cartier Prize has embodied the Maison’s commitment to revealing and nurturing future talent, offering watchmaking enthusiasts a springboard to express their vision and uphold the discipline’s legacy of excellence. This 28th edition – on the theme ‘Shifting the Balance’ – calls on applicants to propose a truly innovative interpretation of time. True to the Maison’s pioneering spirit, this competition is a forum for free expression where technique, innovation and bold creativity converge to shape the watchmaking of tomorrow.” states Karim Drici, Senior VP, Chief Operating Officer.

A 2025 edition dedicated to change

For this new edition, candidates must work based on a pendulette (desk clock) movement, an iconic horological creation in Cartier’s repertoire for over a century.

The chosen theme – “Shifting the Balance: Reading and Perceiving Time Differently” – invites them to move beyond conventional time-telling approaches. Participants are free to explore every aesthetic and creative realm of watchmaking to propose their own personal interpretation incorporating a movement that expresses this concept.

The theme reflects Cartier’s own horological news. At the most recent Watches & Wonders in Geneva, the Maison unveiled a new interpretation of the Tank à Guichets from the Cartier Privé collection. Inspired by a 1928 model, this cult watch features no hands and no dial. At Cartier, technique always serves design. This watch features an openworked plate with two apertures to deliver an entirely unprecedented digital reading of time. The “jumping” hour and “dragging” minute mechanism sits squarely in a tradition where aesthetic boldness converses with technical innovation. This graphic, streamlined, yet enigmatically mysterious approach epitomises a singular way of reading time.

Applicants to the competition may submit their dossier – including a presentation video, project description and sketch – through the dedicated website from 8 September to 31 October 2025.

In early December, after examining the applications, a jury of five watch-industry experts* will select six technicians and six apprentices.

The 12 chosen candidates will have up to 80 hours, spread over three months, to develop their project. Throughout this period, they have the benefit of individual mentorship by the expert of their choice, external to Cartier. At the end of this period, they will deliver their final prototype and a development logbook (sketches and photographs included).

The 12 finalists will present their project to the jury at the Maison des Métiers d’Art, Cartier’s exceptional centre for savoir-faire founded in 2014 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switerland.

The awards ceremony will be held in the spring of 2026.

The 2025 jury of the Cartier Prize for Watchmaking Talents of Tomorrow is made up of:

• Roy Davidoff, vintage watch specialist and co‑founder of Roy & Sacha Davidoff SA
• Pascale Lepeu, Director of the Cartier Collection
• Nathalie Marielloni, Assistant Curator at the Musée International d’Horlogerie
• Pascal Ravessoud, Vice‑President of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, watch expert and collector
• Kari Voutilainen, independent watchmaker

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