The Future of Watch Culture Was on Display at the Miami Watch Summit

I knew the first Miami Watch Summit was serious the moment I stepped into The Moore and saw a table full of wrist checks doing more talking than the people. Collectors, brand presidents, musicians, dealers, first timers, and longtime community figures were comparing stories, not just watches. It set the tone before the panels even began. Miami was not trying to be a watch city. It had already become one.

It has been a breakout year for watch culture worldwide. Geneva opened its doors at Watches and Wonders. New York Watch Week expanded into a full city takeover. The energy has been shifting steadily west, and by the time November arrived it felt inevitable that Miami would host something of its own. Haute Time, the watch vertical of Haute Living, created that moment with CEO Kamal Hotchandani and NBA Hall of Famer and noted collector Carmelo Anthony bringing the inaugural summit to life.

I was invited by Kamal Hotchandani and my friend Lex Borrero, who brought me in to help bridge the culture side of the conversation. Miami being one of my favorite cities, and as someone who has followed Haute Living for years, I was more than happy to show up.

The Moore, a neoclassical landmark turned members club in the Design District, became the backdrop for a tightly curated mix of panels, tastings, brand activations, and collector meetups. HYT, Ulysse Nardin, F. P. Journe, Vacheron Constantin, Roger Dubuis, Bulgari and others presented to a room that brought together Switzerland, South Florida, New York, Los Angeles, and the wider collecting world. Louis XIII and Macallan kept conversations loose. April Irene Donelson and Laura Vallina kept everything moving.

The panels felt like a reunion. Eric Wind, Sophy Rindler of Chrono24, and Chad Alexander hosted conversations that mixed industry insight with community storytelling. When Lex Borrero and I joined Adam Golden and Saint JHN for our panel on Culture Meets Watchmaking, the conversation opened up even more. We talked about how music shapes taste, why authenticity protects the craft, and how cultural influence has become one of the strongest forces in modern collecting. It felt real. It felt familiar. It felt like the watch world acknowledging the people who actually move it.

The nights matched the days. Haute Living hosted a rooftop gathering with Miami Watch Club and 0260 Studios that felt like a celebration of everything happening beneath the surface of the industry. Rare pieces came out, people connected across backgrounds and interests, and the culture showed its depth in a setting that could only exist in Miami.

I thought I was done with watch events for the year, at least in the States. This changed that. The mix of community, diversity, and luxury created a kind of cultural currency you cannot manufacture. Miami did not just add another event to the calendar. It showed how watch culture grows when the right people are in the room.

I cannot wait to see how this evolves next year.