Two internationally recognised educational institutions are collaborating around a shared ambition to broaden access to horological knowledge worldwide.
Geneva, September 17 2026 — The Fondation Haute Horlogerie (FHH), dedicated to the transmission of watchmaking knowledge and culture, is entering into a strategic academic collaboration with the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) School of Gemology and Jewelry Arts. Delivered through the FHH Academy, the educational arm of the FHH responsible for training, assessment, and certification of watchmaking knowledge worldwide, the collaboration brings together two internationally recognised institutions, combining their respective expertise in watchmaking and gem and jewellery education. In doing so, the FHH and the GIA will draw on their respective knowledge and global networks to create new opportunities for learning, extending the reach and accessibility of watchmaking on a global scale.
In line with its mission to share and advance watchmaking knowledge, the FHH launched the FHH Academy in 2014, establishing it as one of the organisation's core pillars. The FHH Academy programmes and certifications span the fundamentals of watchmaking, culture and heritage to advanced technical courses, catering to both industry professionals and enthusiasts. With more than 50,000 people trained since its inauguration and over 18,000 certified across 20 countries, the Academy has developed an international platform for horological education and certification.
The GIA, globally acknowledged as the foremost authority in gemmology and a leader in the gem and jewellery sector, shares a similar longstanding commitment to education and the dissemination of specialist knowledge. Founded in 1931, the Institute has educated more than 200,000 professionals worldwide and teaches on seven campuses across the United States, Europe and Asia. Its international reach, extensive scientific research programme and longstanding educational expertise, supporting both industry specialists and aspiring professionals, make it a natural collaborator for the FHH, creating new pathways to spotlight watchmaking to audiences beyond the traditional watch industry.
Through the new collaboration, the GIA will offer FHH Academy programmes to its students across its global campus network, beginning in early 2027 with the Watch Advisor — the Academy’s first level of certification — alongside open sessions with a dedicated tutor.
The collaboration arrives at a time when the value of human expertise and credible educational resources is more fundamental than ever. While new technologies shape the way people learn, knowledge is more than information alone. It is cultivated through rapport, experience and exchange, under the guidance of individuals and institutions whose skill sets have been earned and ultimately trusted. Furthermore, the combination of the FHH Academy’s subject expertise with the GIA’s nearly 100 years of educational experience and innovation online and on campuses across the US, Europe, Asia and India enables an expansion of in-person horological learning.
“Education has always been at the heart of the mission of the FHH,” says Aurélie Streit, Vice President of the FHH. “Our responsibility is not simply to transmit knowledge, but to create the conditions for people to understand watchmaking in all its depth and diversity. This collaboration with the GIA represents an important opportunity to extend that mission, while continuing to raise the standards of education within our industry, too.”
Gemmology and watchmaking are rooted in centuries of intricate knowledge, where science, craftsmanship and cultural history converge. Sustaining that knowledge requires more than simply passing it from industry experts to those who will carry the craft forward. As such, the collaboration places human exchange at its centre, prioritising how knowledge is taught, experienced and understood through hands-on learning, direct exchange and lived experience. Education provides the conduit through which these disciplines can remain relevant, accessible and valued by future professionals and emerging talent.
“Adding the recognised excellence of FHH Academy’s horology education to the GIA's world-renowned gemology and jewelry programs aligns perfectly with our mission to prepare the next generation of professionals,” shares Johanna Levy, VP, Communications & Corporate Affairs at the GIA. “This program will introduce the GIA’s students to watchmaking, which is closely linked to the global jewelry and gemstone industry, on our campuses.”
For the FHH, the collaboration also represents an opportunity to build upon its existing ecosystem and international reach. By working with an institution whose own educational portfolio extends across borders and generations, it will further explore how watchmaking knowledge can reach those who may not traditionally have encountered it.
Together, the FHH and the GIA School of Gemology and Jewelry Arts aim to make reliable watchmaking education more accessible, while maintaining the independence, rigour and humanity that give learning its value. Education creates confidence. In turn, confidence creates passion, and passion sustains the future of watchmaking.
The first initiative to mark the beginning of the collaboration will take place in October 2026. Details regarding the programme will be announced in due course.
About the Fondation Haute Horlogerie
About GIA
Through research, education, gemological laboratory services and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science and professionalism. Visit GIA.edu. |
Two internationally recognised educational institutions are collaborating around a shared ambition to broaden access to horological knowledge worldwide.
Geneva, September 17 2026 — The Fondation Haute Horlogerie (FHH), dedicated to the transmission of watchmaking knowledge and culture, is entering into a strategic academic collaboration with the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) School of Gemology and Jewelry Arts. Delivered through the FHH Academy, the educational arm of the FHH responsible for training, assessment, and certification of watchmaking knowledge worldwide, the collaboration brings together two internationally recognised institutions, combining their respective expertise in watchmaking and gem and jewellery education. In doing so, the FHH and the GIA will draw on their respective knowledge and global networks to create new opportunities for learning, extending the reach and accessibility of watchmaking on a global scale.
In line with its mission to share and advance watchmaking knowledge, the FHH launched the FHH Academy in 2014, establishing it as one of the organisation's core pillars. The FHH Academy programmes and certifications span the fundamentals of watchmaking, culture and heritage to advanced technical courses, catering to both industry professionals and enthusiasts. With more than 50,000 people trained since its inauguration and over 18,000 certified across 20 countries, the Academy has developed an international platform for horological education and certification.
The GIA, globally acknowledged as the foremost authority in gemmology and a leader in the gem and jewellery sector, shares a similar longstanding commitment to education and the dissemination of specialist knowledge. Founded in 1931, the Institute has educated more than 200,000 professionals worldwide and teaches on seven campuses across the United States, Europe and Asia. Its international reach, extensive scientific research programme and longstanding educational expertise, supporting both industry specialists and aspiring professionals, make it a natural collaborator for the FHH, creating new pathways to spotlight watchmaking to audiences beyond the traditional watch industry.
Through the new collaboration, the GIA will offer FHH Academy programmes to its students across its global campus network, beginning in early 2027 with the Watch Advisor — the Academy’s first level of certification — alongside open sessions with a dedicated tutor.
The collaboration arrives at a time when the value of human expertise and credible educational resources is more fundamental than ever. While new technologies shape the way people learn, knowledge is more than information alone. It is cultivated through rapport, experience and exchange, under the guidance of individuals and institutions whose skill sets have been earned and ultimately trusted. Furthermore, the combination of the FHH Academy’s subject expertise with the GIA’s nearly 100 years of educational experience and innovation online and on campuses across the US, Europe, Asia and India enables an expansion of in-person horological learning.
“Education has always been at the heart of the mission of the FHH,” says Aurélie Streit, Vice President of the FHH. “Our responsibility is not simply to transmit knowledge, but to create the conditions for people to understand watchmaking in all its depth and diversity. This collaboration with the GIA represents an important opportunity to extend that mission, while continuing to raise the standards of education within our industry, too.”
Gemmology and watchmaking are rooted in centuries of intricate knowledge, where science, craftsmanship and cultural history converge. Sustaining that knowledge requires more than simply passing it from industry experts to those who will carry the craft forward. As such, the collaboration places human exchange at its centre, prioritising how knowledge is taught, experienced and understood through hands-on learning, direct exchange and lived experience. Education provides the conduit through which these disciplines can remain relevant, accessible and valued by future professionals and emerging talent.
“Adding the recognised excellence of FHH Academy’s horology education to the GIA's world-renowned gemology and jewelry programs aligns perfectly with our mission to prepare the next generation of professionals,” shares Johanna Levy, VP, Communications & Corporate Affairs at the GIA. “This program will introduce the GIA’s students to watchmaking, which is closely linked to the global jewelry and gemstone industry, on our campuses.”
For the FHH, the collaboration also represents an opportunity to build upon its existing ecosystem and international reach. By working with an institution whose own educational portfolio extends across borders and generations, it will further explore how watchmaking knowledge can reach those who may not traditionally have encountered it.
Together, the FHH and the GIA School of Gemology and Jewelry Arts aim to make reliable watchmaking education more accessible, while maintaining the independence, rigour and humanity that give learning its value. Education creates confidence. In turn, confidence creates passion, and passion sustains the future of watchmaking.
The first initiative to mark the beginning of the collaboration will take place in October 2026. Details regarding the programme will be announced in due course.
About the Fondation Haute Horlogerie
About GIA
Through research, education, gemological laboratory services and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science and professionalism. Visit GIA.edu. |
