Hooked to watches since childhood, Elton has enjoyed witnessing the horological culture seep through street culture and modern music over the last decade
The former Global Lead of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence at Hypebeast, Elton played a key role in catalyzing the company’s growth story — right from building the infrastructure for data analytics and digital marketing across China, Hong Kong, and the US to leading product and analytics for the launch of various new verticals and functionalities during his time at Hypebeast. As one of the founding members at Wristcheck, Elton has been leading the team from the front and is one of our most dependable colleagues.
As Employee Number One at Wristcheck, you've seen us through a lot of ups and downs. Can you share some highlights from your journey so far? What keeps you going?
The first year at Wristcheck was rough. We were this scrappy little team that had to do everything by ourselves; I was working on everything from basically doing product, operations, managing our inventory, and special projects at the store while handling the office buildout all in the same year. We were literally in the trenches that first year; we all wore a million different hats and were challenged to do many tasks for the first time, so we had to think on our feet quite a bit.
Back then, I never really thought about what the future would look like, but seeing us now is really exciting. To see so many people share the vision that Austen and Sean had from the very beginning is incredible, because there's so many people believing in something that's way bigger than any of us. I'd say seeing how we've progressed has been the real highlight of my time so far at Wristcheck.
As for what keeps me going? Honestly, as a company, we're just getting started, and I'm excited to continue building Wristcheck with everyone.
You've turned your love for music into Gluestick, an events company. What advice would you give to others who are looking to turn their passion into a business?
Find what you like, figure out what you can bring to the table, and stop waiting for the "right moment"—you gotta just do it.
My aunt ran an events business, hosting K-pop concerts in Hong Kong, and because I loved music, she let me help her out with the business ever since I was twelve. Back then, I actually wanted to be an artist, but one summer at music camp crushed my dreams. A few years later, I was in business school, and it suddenly just clicked—I knew shows like the back of my hand and what went behind the scenes. I knew I could take my business acumen, my love for great music, and my concert operations experience and turn it into something great.
There will always be obstacles along the way. When COVID first hit, the entire events industry in Hong Kong fully folded, and I genuinely didn't think Gluestick would make it through that. We had to think of ways to pivot just to keep the business afloat, but somehow we survived. All that to say, there's always going to be things outside of your control that will make your journey even more difficult than it already is, but as long as you're thinking on your feet, you'll find a way to make it happen.
What do you think is the most underrated anime of all time, and why?
Growing up, I was always too embarrassed to talk about anime. I really enjoyed it as a kid, but back then, watching anime was not something you'd tell your friends about.
I only really started embracing anime again in college. I met a bunch of anime enthusiasts, and they got me back into it, so I spent a lot of my college years locked in my room with a bag of snacks catching up on the classics. Death Note was the show that officially converted me, but it's such a popular and widely-known anime that I guess you wouldn't really call it underrated.
The two most influential anime and manga that got me started in the world of collecting were The Drops of God and Yu-Gi-Oh. Drops of God, which I read during college, brought me into the world of wine collecting and investing. Up to that point, I wasn't fully aware that one could merge a hobby with commerce, and this realization opened me up to the world of collecting sneakers, sports/culture memorabilia, and ultimately watches.
