Peter Chong is an active online veteran in the world of watches. He was a founding moderator of Timezone, established Deployant.com among other hats he wears.
1. Describe briefly your childhood.
I had a rather typical childhood, I guess. Carefree.
2. As a child did you have any driving ambition?
No particular driving ambition.
3. What is your first significant memory as a child?
I remember the first camera I ever owned. My father entered a slogan competition and won a Kodak Instamatic camera, which he gave to me. It used a 110 film cartridge and had a Magicube flash system, which is mechanically triggered pyrotechnic detonators in each single-use bulb. The cube would rotate to a new position after each flash, and needed no batteries.
4. Have you ever had another profession?
Yes, I started off my working life as a school teacher, teaching English and Physics to secondary school students. I wasn't really cut out for it and left for a position in a large IT multinational. I was handling large accounts, which included airlines, and eventually moved into the air transport industry.
5. What made you decide to go in the direction you are currently in?
I had wanted to write a book on watches, as I had been collecting for decades. I took a year off on sabbatical to focus on the book. The book, A. Lange & Sohne, The Pour le Merite Collection, was published in 2011, and I spent about a year travelling to promote it. Then decided that I was not going to return to work. I subsequently started Deployant.com in 2014.
Most of the work I currently do is writing and photography.
6. What’s the worst job you’ve had to do?
I guess teaching...haha. Well, not really teaching, but all the other activities required of a teacher in those days...the administrative work, the peripheral activities that the schools need to be done. I never really enjoyed that other stuff, but I did enjoy teaching and interacting with students.
7. What’s been the hardest moment in your life so far, and how did you overcome it?
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8. Who has had the strongest influence on you?
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9. What are you most proud of?
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10. What advice would you give to a 20 something someone thinking of taking a similar path as you?
Do whatever your passion takes you.
Don’t be afraid to change path, if your interests or passions change.
11. Name three things on your bucket list.
I never thought much about this. Perhaps travel. I have never been to South America and Antarctica, so that may be interesting trips.
Another might be to ride on the Etape de Tour, just one stage.
12. Where do you think the watch industry is going to be in 10 years time?
I think 10 years is not a long time. In my experience, the watch industry is very conservative and slow to catch on to trends, and other than whatever is fashionable in a decade, the industry will be pretty much similar to what we have now.