Watchmaking and jewellery students, take note: Cartier and The King’s Foundation launch a new course

In the mid-19th century, Cartier dipped its toe into horology, establishing a technically accomplished and creative mastery of the medium, honed throughout the subsequent decades. It is a commitment to craft that the maison is now keen to mark, announcing a new education-programme partnership with The King’s Foundation that looks to nurture and preserve these skills.

The King's Foundation and Cartier: Decorative Métiers d'Art in Watchmaking shifts the focus to the next generation in an acknowledgement of the importance of collaboration. The bursary-funded partnership, encompassing five months of formal training and two months of project work, will zone in on fields integral to Cartier’s savoir-faire, including specialist techniques like champlevé, grisaille and marquetry.

‘At The King’s Foundation, we are passionate about protecting traditional crafts and we are delighted to be partnering with Cartier – who share this passion – on this exciting new education programme,’ says Jacqueline Farrell, executive director of education at The King’s Foundation. ‘This course will give students a rare opportunity to learn the highly specialised skills involved in the decorative arts for watchmaking. By nurturing the next generation of makers in two extraordinary settings, in Scotland and Switzerland, we hope to ensure that these remarkable skills are preserved and developed for years to come.’

The fellowship is open to UK-based watchmaking and jewellery graduates, as well as designers who are in the first three years of launching their business. While studying at The King’s Foundation in Scotland, students will be based on site at Dumfries House, while residentials will be held at Cartier’s Maison des Métiers d’Art in Switzerland.

For Cartier, holding the warrant of Jewellers and Watchmakers to His Majesty The King, the partnership is a natural one, and a fitting accompaniment to the annual competition, launched almost three decades ago, the Cartier Prize for Watchmaking Talents of Tomorrow.

‘We are delighted to partner with The King’s Foundation on this important new fellowship programme,’ says Louis Ferla, president and CEO of Cartier. ‘Support for creative talents in watchmaking and the métiers d’art is crucial to ensure these ancestral skills are transmitted to the next generation, where they can continue to share their singular beauty. This commitment reaffirms the maison’s longstanding dedication to the shared human adventure of preserving, developing and, of course, celebrating these rare and traditional crafts.’

Applications will open in spring 2026, with the first cohort presenting their projects in a final exhibition in spring 2027. Applicants can apply for the course from 27 April via The King’s Foundation website