Jason Gong è il 38enne fondatore di Complecto, una comunità e una piattaforma incentrata sull'aumento della diversità e dell'inclusione nell'industria rolex falsi dell'orologeria e nella comunità dei collezionisti. Potrebbe aver creato qualcosa di nuovo e necessario nello spazio dell'orologio, ma la sua storia di origine è una storia vecchia quanto il tempo (beh, gli anni '80).
"I got my first watch on my eighth birthday," he says. "A blue Swatch. I was always fascinated with the sea. Growing up in New York, you're around a lot of water but the beaches are kind of gross and the water's really murky, so I always fantasized about being someplace where I could go in the ocean, like the tropics. And when I got that watch, it brought that fantasy to life for me."
To know Gong is to feel welcomed into his world. A byproduct of his natural warmth and a career in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in banking and tech. "Throughout my corporate career," he says, "I was always focused on creating spaces where people could show orologi replica up as their authentic selves." But in 2020 when so many of us were taking stock of who we are and how we were spending our time, Gong decided to combine his skills with his passion.
"Anyone that pursues a career in Diversity and Inclusion, you do it because it's a core part of your value system," he says. "It's very difficult and frustrating work. And for me, doing it as long as I've done it and doing it at the level that I had been doing it I got burned out. I was trying to reimagine a way that I could still do work that was rooted in diversity, equity, and repliche orologi inclusion, but in a context that felt more authentic and empowering. And that's really where Complecto was born."
Connection is at the heart of his personal collection, as well. He collects watches that speak to him, that have a story or tell a story. "My experience has been that as long as you're able to form that emotional bond with the watch, it sticks to you and becomes a part of your life. It becomes your companion, as cheesy as that sounds."