Cartier has announced a three-year partnership with The King’s Foundation, the educational charity founded in 1990 by the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles III. The aim is not to produce more watches, nor to speak of growth or market share. The objective is simpler and far more precious: to pass on rare crafts.

The programme, titled The King’s Foundation and Cartier Decorative Métiers d’Art in Watchmaking, is designed for young artisans who already possess technical training and wish to deepen their knowledge of decorative arts applied to watchmaking. For several months they will devote themselves to delicate techniques such as champlevé and grisaille enamelling, as well as marquetry, those disciplines that can transform a watch dial into a miniature work of art.

The course will take place between two locations that each embody a certain respect for the long passage of time. On one side stands Dumfries House in Scotland, headquarters of The King’s Foundation, where the students will reside. This great eighteenth-century house was saved in 2007 by the then Prince Charles in order to preserve it as part of the nation’s heritage. On the other side is La Chaux-de-Fonds, at the heart of Switzerland’s watchmaking cradle, where Cartier established its Maison des Métiers d’Art in 2014.

Guided by master craftsmen and expert tutors from both institutions, the students will alternate between formal training and personal work: five months of learning, followed by two months dedicated to an individual project.

In the end, the initiative gently reminds us of something the luxury industry sometimes forgets: true luxury is not merely an object, but a savoir-faire that outlives time itself. And for that, there must always be masters… and apprentices.

FM