Since 1995, Cartier has invited young watchmakers to reimagine a movement. With this edition, the prize opens a second atelier: a jewellery award, a shared theme drawn from the Maison’s bestiary, and a single name, the Cartier Talents of Tomorrow Prize.
The Cartier Watchmaking Prize for Talents of Tomorrow now grows into the Cartier Talents of Tomorrow Prize: one framework holding two distinct awards, each devoted to one of the two crafts on which Cartier was built. The Maison presents the initiative as a celebration of watchmaking and jewellery alike, and as a renewed commitment to the talent that will carry both forward. In each discipline, three young winners will be recognised for their technical command and their creative daring.
Key Highlights
- Two awards, one name: the watchmaking award, established in 1995, is joined by a new jewellery award within the Cartier Talents of Tomorrow Prize.
- Shared theme: “Cartier’s Wild Fauna”, from the panther to the tiger and the crocodile.
- Two canvases: the 1847 MC movement for watchmakers, a brooch for jewellers.
- Calendar: applications from 1 October to 30 November 2026, award ceremonies in spring 2027.
- Finalists: eight per discipline, each with up to 80 hours of work over three months and a mentor of their choice from outside Cartier.
- Winners: three in watchmaking and three in jewellery.
The Watchmaking Award: A Movement to Reimagine
Created in 1995, the watchmaking award asks emerging talent, each year, to reinterpret a movement around a given theme. For this edition, the canvas is the Maison’s 1847 MC movement, through which each candidate will give life to an animal of the Cartier bestiary, free to explore every aesthetic and creative avenue the craft allows.
The award is addressed to apprentices and students enrolled in school, apprenticeship or work-study programmes in Switzerland, France, Belgium and Germany. This year, its reach extends to Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The winners of the previous edition are presented in our report on the Cartier Prize for Watchmaking Talents of Tomorrow.
Five figures from the worlds of horology, heritage and independent watchmaking form the 2027 watchmaking jury:
- Roy Davidoff, vintage watch specialist and co-founder of Roy & Sacha Davidoff SA.
- Pascale Lepeu, Director of the Cartier Collection.
- Nathalie Marielloni, Curator at the Musée international d’horlogerie.
- Pascal Ravessoud, Vice-President of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie and watchmaking specialist.
- Kari Voutilainen, independent watchmaker.
The award prolongs a commitment that began in 1993, when Cartier founded the Cartier Watchmaking Institute in Switzerland to help train the watchmakers of tomorrow. Open to apprentices and artisans of the Cartier Manufactures, the Institute teaches watchmaking, polishing, microtechnology and mechanics, and has become a reference in the research and support of young watchmaking talent. Nearly 200 apprentices have trained there, and around 100 employees deepen their expertise each year through dedicated courses.
The Jewellery Award: An Animal Rendered as a Brooch
The new jewellery award opens to students in France, Italy and Switzerland who have completed at least two years of training in a jewellery programme, whether at school, through an apprenticeship or in a work-study scheme. Their brief is as precise as it is open: to express the presence of an animal in the form of a brooch, with full freedom of interpretation.
The 2027 jewellery jury brings together five distinguished voices of the craft:
- Alexa Abitbol, Director of the Cartier High Jewellery Manufacture.
- François Curiel, Chairman of Christie’s Europe and jewellery specialist.
- Hervé Dewintre, jewellery journalist.
- Mathieu Rousset-Perrier, Heritage Curator at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.
- Laurent Laroche, CEO of Cristofol.
Here too, the prize builds on an institution. In 2002, to meet its own training needs and to promote the jewellery professions, the Maison opened the Cartier Jewellery Institute in the heart of Paris. It teaches the traditional jewellery crafts and passes on, from one artisan to another, skills that are still awaiting a formal educational pathway, such as bead stringing and animal sculpture in wax. More than 170 of the Maison’s artisans train there each year, and cross-training programmes invite them to discover a second craft alongside their own. The spirit of that savoir-faire comes to life in the Maison’s high jewellery, as in Le Cœur des Pierres.
One Theme, One Calendar for Both Crafts
“Cartier’s Wild Fauna” unites the two disciplines in this edition. The choice comes naturally: from the panther to the tiger and the crocodile, animal motifs have long shaped Cartier creations, and the theme echoes the Maison’s recent work, from the Panthère Métiers d’Art watches unveiled at Watches and Wonders to the latest jewellery creations devoted to the animal kingdom. It offers each candidate a vast territory in which to find a highly personal interpretation.
The path of a finalist unfolds in four stages:
- Applications are open from 1 October to 30 November 2026.
- Eight candidates are shortlisted in each discipline and develop their project over a maximum of 80 hours of work, spread across three months.
- Throughout this period, each finalist works with an individual mentor of their choice, from outside Cartier.
- At the close of the three months, finalists submit their completed piece with a logbook tracing the key stages of its development in sketches and photographs.
The award ceremonies will take place in spring 2027. Entry conditions are published on the official Cartier Talents of Tomorrow page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Cartier Talents of Tomorrow Prize?
It is the new name of the Cartier prize for young watchmakers, created in 1995, which now gathers two distinct awards under one framework: one for watchmaking and one for jewellery. Three winners are honoured in each discipline.
Who can enter the jewellery award?
Students in France, Italy and Switzerland who have completed at least two years of training in a jewellery programme, whether at school, through an apprenticeship or in a work-study scheme.
Who can enter the watchmaking award?
Apprentices and students enrolled in school, apprenticeship or work-study programmes in Switzerland, France, Belgium and Germany, and, from this edition, in Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
What is the theme of this edition?
Both disciplines share the theme “Cartier’s Wild Fauna”. Watchmakers interpret it through the 1847 MC movement, and jewellers express the presence of an animal in the form of a brooch.
When can candidates apply, and when are the winners revealed?
Applications are open from 1 October to 30 November 2026. The eight finalists in each discipline then work on their project for three months, and the award ceremonies take place in spring 2027.
