Cartier has announced a three-year partnership with The King’s Foundation, the educational charity established in 1990 by King Charles.
The collaboration is dedicated to passing on the rare, intricate crafts of watchmaking, rather than simply to produce more watches or increase market share.
“The King’s Foundation and Cartier Decorative Métiers d’Art in Watchmaking” program will consist of five months of formal training and two months of project work.
The focus will be for trainees to deepen their knowledge of decorative arts applied to watchmaking.
Training will take place between The King’s Foundation’s headquarters, Dumfries House in Scotland, where the students will reside, and La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, where Cartier established its Maison des Métiers d’Art in 2014.
An eighteenth-century building north of the border, Dumfries House was saved in 2007 by the then-Prince Charles, preserving the iconic building as part of the nation’s heritage.
Applications for the program are set to open on April 27 on The King’s Foundation’s website.
Executive Director of Education at The King’s Foundation, Jacqueline Farrell, described the program as a “rare opportunity to learn the highly specialised skills involved in the decorative arts for watchmaking”.
Cartier watch | Source: GETTY
Meanwhile, Louis Ferla, Chief Executive of Cartier, said: “This commitment reaffirms the maison’s long-standing dedication to the shared human adventure of preserving, developing and, of course, celebrating these rare and traditional crafts.”
Cartier and the Royal Family have been intrinsically tied for over a century.
The relationship began in 1902, when Pierre Cartier – one of three brothers who took ownership of the legendary brand – opened a branch in London in time for the coronation of King Edward VII.
Edward rewarded Cartier with a Royal Warrant after being so impressed by the quality of the jewellery that he ordered 27 tiaras for the event.
King Charles | Source: PA
Edward later famously described the House of Cartier as the “Jeweller of Kings and King of Jewellers”.
The jeweller has held the Royal Warrant ever since, as “Jewellers and Watchmakers to His Majesty the King”.
Queen Elizabeth II has also been seen sporting iconic Cartier pieces, such as Art Deco diamond earrings and the Halo tiara.
William and Kate wedding | Source: GETTY
The famed headpiece was loaned to the Princess of Wales for her wedding to Prince William in 2011.
Francesca Cartier Brickell, whose great uncle, Pierre, brought Cartier to British shores, said: “The British Royal Family was so important to the success of the Cartiers.
“Not just in England, but internationally, and the pieces Cartier made for them remain among some of the most exquisite, well-known jewels of all time.”
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