For the 2024 edition – the 27th of this competition – candidates were invited to reinterpret the movement of the carriage clock, an emblematic Cartier creation, on the theme of the magic of the senses. The creativity of young apprentices and watchmaking technicians from France, Switzerland and Belgium was celebrated. After an initial selection, based on sketches, texts and presentation videos, the selected finalists had eighty hours over two months to complete their watchmaking project, with the support of their mentor. Their talent gave rise to some unique creations, illustrating technical prowess and creative audacity that recalled nature, automated figures and elevated everyday objects.
Winners of the Apprentice Category
- 1st prize: Marta Maziers, La Reine du Temps (IATA Namur)
- 2nd prize: Yann Mayer, Inverso (Hublot Training Center)
- 3rd prize: Coline Riondet, Présentoir à Parfum (Lycée Edgar Faure de Morteau)
Technical category winners
- 1st prize: Hugo Mandrillon, Œil du temps (Lycée Edgar Faure de Morteau)
- 2nd prize: Samuel Pauly, Nefertum (Lycée Jean Jaurès de Rennes)
- 3rd prize: Simon Girard, Ballet Floral (Lycée Jean Jaurès de Rennes)
Special Jury Prize for Creativity
Valentine Gredzynski, Tree (Lycée Edgar Faure de Morteau)
The jury members took turns in awarding the prizes, explaining their choices: Nathalie Marielloni, assistant curator of the Musée international d'horlogerie; Roy Davidoff, specialist in collectible watches and co-founder of Roy & Sacha Davidoff SA; Pascal Ravessoud, vice-president of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, specialized watchmaker and collector, Pascale Lepeu, director of the Cartier Collection and Kari Voutilainen, independent watchmaker.
The history of the Award
The Cartier Prize for the watchmaking talents of tomorrow was created in 1995 at the request of the Cartier Watchmaking Institute. Each year, the unique competition invites talented young watchmakers to transform a movement based on a given theme and rewards both technical and creative flair. Originally open to third- and fourth-year watchmaking students, in 2024 the prize was opened to a new category of candidates, microtechnology students and first- and second-year vocational training students. This year, Belgian students were also invited to apply alongside their Swiss, French and German counterparts. At the end of the awards ceremony, three winners per category will receive a prize. The call for the 2025 edition of the competition will open next autumn.
