(Photo credit: Rolex)
Rolex and Cartier will be joining forces to bolster watchmaking apprenticeships in the Swiss canton of Fribourg, a rare but pragmatic collaboration to secure the next generation of Swiss watchmakers.
Starting in 2026, Rolex and Cartier will partner with the Ecole Professionnelle Artisanale et Industrielle, a Fribourg-based trade school, to offer two-year apprenticeships, combining hands-on training at the brands with coursework at EPAI.
The move is the latest sign of the growing demand for watchmakers outside the typical Swiss manufacturing hubs, as Rolex expands its footprint in the Fribourg canton. Cartier is not new in the canton, but is benefitting from Rolex's arrival to help launch the new course with EPAI.
As previously reported by Coronet, Rolex is ramping up operations in Romont, a municipality in the canton of Fribourg, ahead of its major Bulle site launch in 2029. The brand already employs more than 20 people at its new Villaz-Saint-Pierre site, where the apprentices will be based.
A career fair in Fribourg this week-end is featuring for the first time a stand promoting watchmaking, staffed by Rolex and Cartier employees acting as industry ambassadors.