His father wanted him to become a lawyer, but Chestret had no interest in pursuing legal studies.
[1] On 15 March 1863, he was a founding member of the Bibliophiles liégeois, of which he would eventually be president.
On 4 July 1869 he was elected a corresponding member of the Société royale de Numismatique, of which he ultimately became honorary president for life on 7 March 1909.
From 1882, he was a member of the Institut archéologique liégeois, going on to serve as vice-president and president.
[1] He died in Liège on 10 September 1909 and was buried in the family vault at Donceel.