Hot on the heels of De Ronde van Cowtown, the club had our first social event of the season. The basic format is a get-together at one of our sponsoring establishments, with one drink ticket, some appies/food and good company. This was at the National on 10th, just south of downtown Calgary. We had about 70 people signed up and it started at 6:30 and theoretically ended at 9:30, although some (like me) left before that and I’m sure some stayed later.
Since I worked from home, I rode down to Bow Cycle at 5:00, and Mark, Daniel, Paul and I rode to the National from there. We had a great tailwind, and were hoping that it would die down by the time we had to ride back the other way.
Food was a bit of popcorn/tater tots as an appetizer, then some sliders (regular and veggie) and finally pizza. The beer was good, too. 🍻
I stayed until about 9, when Paul and Mark were ready to go. We headed out on our bikes and made pretty good time on the way back. The wind had died down, but not all the way. It was work to get home again.
It was a fun night, and it was great to reconnect with so many of the club members. The regular riding season is just around the corner.
In other news… new watch alert! 🚨
Fedex dropped off a watch for me yesterday. There’s no particular occasion here, just a moderately priced watch that really turned my head when I saw it online. It’s an Islander watch from Long Island Watch, a New York online watch store that makes their own micro brand. I was aware of them from their founder’s YouTube channel and long-standing collaboration with the Urban Gentry. The watch, an ISL-141, was introduced in 2022, and it’s the very definition of if you want it, it’s limited-time only. Islander probably wouldn’t re-release this. I was either going to order it now (on sale…) or let it get away.
The watch is a diver, and the dial is a slice of Abalone, keeping with the ocean theme. Every dial is slightly different. Powering the watch is a Seiko NH35 movement, which has a power reserve of 40 hours and offers hand-winding and hacking. A date is located at the 6:00 position. The crown is screwdown, which ensures 200 meters of water resistance. Protecting the dial is a double dome, anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The bezel is done in DLC, which is a black plating treatment that results in a very scratch resistant surface, and the numbers on the bezel are lumed as well. C3 Super-LumiNova is used on the dial, markers and hands.
It’s chunky and not subtle. The dial is the main draw and shows different colours based on lighting and angle. Positively hypnotic. The watch is a homage to the Seiko Monster, which isn’t an official name but a nickname given to this line since Seiko didn’t give it one. The shark tooth indices give the watch a bit of a toothed mouth look, hence the name.
So far I’m loving it and it’s a great addition to my little collection.
