The annual watchmaking competition invites young artisans to rethink how we read time.

For nearly 30 years, Cartier&rsquo;s Watchmaking Prize for Talents of Tomorrow has been where tradition meets bold, forward-looking watchmaking. Launched in 1995 by the Cartier Watchmaking Institute, the competition is open to apprentices and students from Switzerland, France, Belgium, and Germany. Each year, it serves as a springboard for emerging horological talent, celebrating their ability to turn time itself into something new.
This year&rsquo;s edition is guided by the theme: &ldquo;Shifting the Balance: Reading and Perceiving Time Differently.&rdquo; Participants are asked to push beyond classic interpretations of watchmaking and imagine new ways to measure and display time &mdash; a brief that sits at the intersection of precision engineering and creative risk-taking.

Founded in 1847, Cartier has always paired excellence with education. The opening of the Cartier Watchmaking Institute in 1993 in Switzerland cemented its commitment to passing on knowledge, blending traditional training with a drive for innovation. Nearly two hundred apprentices have graduated from the institute, and every year, Cartier employees refine their expertise there. The creation of the Watchmaking Prize two years later was a natural extension of this mission, spotlighting young watchmakers who can balance technical mastery with artistic vision.
For the 28th edition, participants will work with the pendulette &mdash; the table clock that has been part of Cartier&rsquo;s history for over a century. Each project will use this emblematic movement as a base, reinterpreting it through a personal and inventive lens.
This brief resonates with Cartier&rsquo;s recent presentation at Watches &amp; Wonders Geneva, where the maison unveiled a new take on the Tank &agrave; Guichets. First released in 1928, the model eliminates hands and dials entirely, telling time through jump-hour windows &mdash; a reminder that Cartier has always used technical ingenuity in service of design and emotion.
Entries are open from September 8 through October 31, 2025. Applicants must submit a video presentation, sketches, and a detailed description of their concept. In December, a jury of five experts will select twelve finalists &mdash; six technicians and six apprentices &mdash; who will then spend 80 hours developing their projects under the guidance of an independent mentor.
After three months of research and creation, the finished pieces will be presented at Cartier&rsquo;s Maison des M&eacute;tiers d&rsquo;Art in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a hub dedicated to exceptional savoir-faire since 2014. The awards ceremony will take place in spring 2026, honoring the boldest, most inventive visions of watchmaking&rsquo;s future.
With this year&rsquo;s theme focused on rebalancing and rethinking, Cartier isn&rsquo;t just hosting a competition &mdash; it&rsquo;s inviting a new generation to reshape the very concept of time.

Courtesy of Cartier.

Cartier Watchmaking Prize for Talents of Tomorrow Marks 28th Edition With Fresh Challenge

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