Time to Drive Car & Watch Festival - Interview with co-founders Lex Borrero and Perri Dash

The two first met when Lex appeared as a guest on Wrist Check Pod. What began as a conversation about watches evolved into a friendship built around a shared belief: that the worlds of automobiles and horology are driven by the same appreciation for craftsmanship, engineering, and culture. That idea ultimately became the foundation for the Time to Drive Festival, taking place November 6–8, 2026, in Miami.

How did the idea for the Time to Drive Car & Watch Festival come about?

Lex Borrero: For most of my career, I've built communities around music, entertainment, and culture. Over the last few years, that passion naturally expanded into watches and cars. What fascinated me wasn't just the products, it was the people. I realized the same personalities were showing up in both worlds: collectors, entrepreneurs, designers, creatives, people obsessed with craftsmanship and excellence. Yet those communities rarely interacted in a meaningful way.

When Perri and I started traveling together to the biggest watch fairs, concours, rallies, and automotive events around the world, we kept asking ourselves the same question: Why isn't there a place where these passions come together naturally? We saw incredible events dedicated to one category or the other, but nothing that truly celebrated the lifestyle that connects them.

The funny part is that most enthusiasts already live in both worlds. Watch collectors often dream about cars, and car collectors almost always appreciate great watches. But there was an invisible barrier. A car enthusiast might own a Royal Oak but feel intimidated walking into a room full of serious watch collectors. Likewise, a watch collector might own a Porsche GT3 but hesitate to join a track conversation with seasoned drivers. Everyone shared the same passion for craftsmanship, but they spoke different technical languages.

Time to Drive was born to remove that barrier.  It's not a watch event with cars parked outside or a car show with a few watch brands. It's a cultural festival built around the idea that great design, engineering, and craftsmanship transcend categories. Once people realize they're driven by the same curiosity and appreciation for excellence, the conversation becomes effortless.

How do you and your co-founder Perri Dash divide roles and responsibilities?

Lex: I'd say I lead with vision and Perri leads with refinement. We create everything together. Every partnership, every experience, every destination starts with conversations between the two of us. I'm always asking, "How do we make this bigger? How do we create something the community has never seen before?" Perri has an incredible gift for taking those ideas and shaping them into something that feels authentic and beautifully executed. That's why the partnership works, we're both building the same thing, just through different lenses.

Perri Dash: Lex hit it on the nail. His talent is that he's an incredible businessman and organizer. What I bring is the layer of culture and experience. We both have a strong sense of taste, and we spend a lot of time ideating together, then he's the one who takes those ideas and actually makes them happen — contacts, relationships, resources, execution. Shortly after we met, he came to me wanting to do something with cars and watches, we spent a lot of time shaping the concept together, and he's the one who came up with the name. From there we started making calls and building the relationships that became the actual experiences. Geneva in September will be our third edition and our second this year — we did Europe last year, we just did Japan, and now we're going back to Europe, adding France into the mix. Collectors benefit from the experience, but so do the brands: we're bringing people to places many of them have never been, introducing them to watchmakers they've never met — and those people end up buying watches, too.

What role do watches play in this event — do you need to love cars too?

Lex : Absolutely not. You don't have to love both, that's actually the whole point of the festival. We designed Time to Drive so that whether you come for the watches or the cars, you'll leave with a new appreciation for the other.

Watches are every bit as important as the cars. We didn't want to recreate another convention hall filled with booths. We asked ourselves, if the most exciting watch brands came to Miami, what should that experience feel like? The answer wasn't another trade show—it was something immersive, social, and unmistakably Miami.

We're essentially building our own version of South Beach inside the festival, where incredible watches live alongside live music, great hospitality, thoughtful design, and meaningful conversations. Our goal is to create an environment where people naturally discover new brands, reconnect with iconic ones, and experience watch culture in a completely different way.

Perri: If you love cars, you get the same depth of experience: one-of-one cars that have never been shown together before, and intimate, interactive experiences around brands like Porsche, Mercedes, and Ferrari. The brands we've selected are ones Lex and I genuinely love, and I think that's an important signal for the industry, because a lot of brands still see collectors as one-dimensional — you're a Vacheron guy, or a Patek guy. In reality, these collectors buy across a very broad spectrum, often driven by heritage, design, and story rather than price point alone. People in our community really do treat us as curators — I can't tell you how many times someone bought a watch because they saw one of us wearing it, or texted asking whether they should get a Moser or a Rolex. This event is a chance to show that same spirit to the whole industry. Next to the Founders Club — where additional watch-adjacent luxury retail experiences live — you'll find the car clubs and watch clubs with their own booths, engaging directly with brands and visitors. Nothing like this has existed before, and watches matter just as much as the cars do. 

Are the watch brands represented by retailers, or by brand executives themselves?

Perri: Both. We have a great relationship with Raphael Gübelin, who hosted us last year and is hosting us again — the Gübelin family. We also have a strong relationship with Guido Terreni, CEO of Parmigiani — a good guy, and I'd call him watch-industry CEO of the year — as well as with Edouard and Bertrand Meylan. These people have become friends of ours, and they're strong supporters of what we do, because in the same way we're pushing boundaries with my company 0260 (Zero To Sixty) and Time to Drive, they're doing the same thing within the watch world.

Will they bring their full collections, or just new releases?

Perri: It's a collaborative process. We definitely have our favorites, but we're mindful that brands are positioning themselves and their current lineup the way they see fit. At the end of the day, we're fans of these brands for a reason — we trust their design language, their eye, their product — so we give them room to try things, even if that means not bringing everything. Even so, giving people the chance to try on pieces they've never had access to is valuable in itself. How many people have handled a Greubel Forsey? It's a hard brand to reach. The same goes for Dominique Renaud, who's getting a lot of attention right now despite limited production— collectors just want to touch and feel these pieces. Knowing the people I know, I think there will be real sales too. I think everyone will be surprised by how productive this event turns out to be.

Do you think future editions might become a platform for brands to launch new models?

Lex: Absolutely, including US launches.

What's your biggest hope for this first edition?

Lex: My biggest hope is that people leave feeling like they experienced something they didn't know was possible. Every decision we've made starts with the end user. We ask ourselves, "How do we surprise people? How do we create moments they'll talk about for years?"

My background has always been about building culture and creating experiences that move people—whether through music, film, or live events. We've brought that same mindset to Time to Drive. Instead of thinking like a traditional automotive or watch event, we've approached it like an entertainment experience where every detail is designed to create emotion, discovery, and connection.

If people leave inspired, if they discover a brand they never knew, make a new friend, or walk away with a deeper appreciation for craftsmanship, then we've succeeded. If we can create that feeling year after year, I believe Time to Drive has the potential to become a landmark event for this community.

The culinary experience also sounds ambitious — is that important for American audiences?

Lex: It's incredibly important, not just for American audiences, but for anyone who appreciates craftsmanship. We don't see food as a break between experiences; we see it as part of the experience itself.

Time to Drive is a celebration of cultures that have shaped the worlds of automobiles and horology. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, the UK, and the United States have each contributed something unique to those industries, and we wanted the culinary program to reflect that same spirit.

Every detail of the festival is intentional. From the cars and watches to the music, design, and food, everything is meant to immerse people in the cultures that inspire these passions. We want guests to feel like they're traveling the world without ever leaving the festival.

Tell us about the Miami Watch Club you founded.

Lex: The Miami Watch Club started three years ago, founded by three close friends — Carlos, Gabe, and Alex — as a way to unite their passion for watches, well before watch clubs became the widespread phenomenon they are today. I joined a bit over a year ago to help scale it, and we've since grown it to around 370 members and brought it to where it is now.

Perri:  Lex has since stepped into the club and helped scale it in record time 

Lex: There's always room to grow, but the idea isn't scale for its own sake — it's building a proper home for anyone who loves watches, whether that's a Casio, a Swatch, or something far higher up the ladder. Watches are really just the excuse; the human connection is what we focus on most.

Why do you think a media like GMT is a good fit for your event?

Perri: GMT is an established, respected name within the watch community, so an association with it further validates the idea we've built. There are people in the industry who already know us, but there are far more who'll be asking, "who are these guys, where did they come from?" Having a partner like GMT reduces those questions and turns them into curiosity instead — people start looking back at the podcast, at the Time to Drive experiences we've already run, and want to be part of what's next.

Lex: GMT is a natural fit because we share the same philosophy. Great media doesn't just report on products it tells the stories behind them and helps grow the culture. That's exactly what we're trying to do with Time to Drive.

This festival isn't about putting watches and cars on display. It's about creating an experience that inspires people to discover new brands, meet the people behind them, and become part of the community. That's something GMT has been doing for years through its editorial voice.

For the brands, it's an opportunity to connect with the U.S. market in a more authentic and culturally relevant way. For collectors, it's a chance to experience extraordinary cars and watches, meet like-minded enthusiasts, and create memories they'll carry long after the weekend is over.

At the end of the day, both GMT and Time to Drive believe that these worlds are about much more than the objects themselves—they're about the stories, the craftsmanship, and the people who give them meaning.