It is that time again: in just a few weeks Cartier will launch the 28th edition of its Prix Cartier Talents Horlogers de Demain, offering a stage to future watchmaking talents. Under the guiding theme ‘Shifting the Balance: Reading and Perceiving Time Differently’, aspiring watchmakers are invited to reinterpret a pendulum movement. The aim is to challenge the traditional relationship with timekeeping while uniting technical innovation with aesthetic boldness.
Thirty-two years ago, Cartier founded the Institut Horlogerie in Couvet, Switzerland, to preserve the art of watchmaking and pass on its savoir-faire. Since then, nearly 200 apprentices have been trained in watchmaking, polishing, microtechnology and mechanics, while around 100 employees each year have taken part in specialised courses. In 1995 this training initiative was extended with the creation of the Prix Cartier Talents Horlogers de Demain, giving young talents a platform of their own. In 2025, the spotlight will be on a pendulum clock that has been part of the Maison’s horological heritage for more than a century.
At the heart of the 28th edition lies not a traditional watch case, but the historic pendulum movement itself – both a technical and aesthetic challenge. Participants are invited to rethink classic case forms and use them as a creative arena that highlights the oscillation of the balance wheel and the interplay between mechanics and design. The task calls for a careful balance between material aesthetics and the visibility of technical details. The theme ‘Reading and Perceiving Time Differently’ also encourages participants to explore new ways of displaying time.
Cartier itself provided inspiration at this year’s Watches and Wonders with the launch of a reinterpretation of the Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets, a model without conventional hands or dial. Instead, it employs a mechanism with jumping hours and dragging minutes, revealed through two apertures in the dial plate – effectively offering a digital-style time display. Inspired by this, the competition seeks new interpretations of time display through mechanically precise and creatively conceived movements. For the jury, what matters is how innovatively young watchmakers address the theme while ensuring legibility, functionality and design sophistication.
From 8 September to 31 October, interested candidates can submit their projects online, consisting of a video presentation and a project description with sketches. The competition is open to watchmaking apprentices in their 3rd or 4th year, as well as students in their 1st or 2nd year of higher-level training in Switzerland, France, Belgium and Germany.
In early December, a diverse five-member jury will select six apprentices and six technicians. Among those making the decision are watch collector Roy Davidoff, Pascale Lepeu, Director of the Cartier Collection, and independent Finnish watchmaker Kari Voutilainen. Shortlisted candidates will then have up to 80 working hours to bring their vision to life.
Over the course of the more than three-month working period, the twelve finalists will be mentored by external experts of their own choosing. The completed projects will be presented at the Maison des Métiers d’Art in La Chaux-de-Fonds, with the prize to be awarded in spring 2026.
