Replica Lew Huey Cerberus Hands-On

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Young, internet-born replica watch brand Lew & Huey has had a number of successful runs on Kickstarter, launching a total of five replica watches from the platform. Their first was the Riccardo automatic chronograph (which we reviewed here) followed by the Acionna, Spectre, Cerberus and most recently the Orthos.

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In this Hands-On we will be spending some time with their fourth model, the Cerberus. The model name is an interesting one, coming from Greek and Roman mythology. The Cerberus is a multi-headed dog (often depicted with three heads) with lion’s claws, a serpent’s tail and a mane made out of snakes. The task of the beast was to guard the underworld and given the animal’s description I am sure it did a fine job. The logo of Lew & Huey is a playful looking dog, who perhaps has some lineage to the fabled Cerberus. We will see.

Specs

HLCerberus_faceCase: 316L Stainless Steel
Movement: Miyota cal. 9015
Dial: Blue & Orange; White & Blue; or Gray & Red
Lume: Yes
Lens: Domed Anti-Reflective Sapphire
Bracelet: Stainless Steel bracelet
Water Res.: 100M
Dimensions: 42mm x 50mm
Thickness: 12.5mm
Lug Width: 22mm
Warranty: 2 Years
Price: $575 (USD)

Case

The first thing to mention about the case is how comfortable it wears. Measuring in at 42 x 50 x 12.5mm the Cerberus is a good size for a replica watch that was designed to be “worn for both work and play.” Like the Riccardo, the Cerberus case is sized such that it should feel comfortable on smaller wrists and not disappear on larger sizes. The 50mm length fits perfectly on my smaller wrists giving the replica watch presence without appearing over-sized. Similar to the Riccardo, the Cerberus has the twisted lugs that are a nice visual flair, and Lew & Huey specifically call out wanting to have that same element on this case as well.

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Anyone who is a frequent strap-swapper will be a fan of the drilled lugs on the side of the Cerberus case. The crown sits at the traditional 3 o’clock position and is a standard, non-screw down crown. I actually found the crown to be a little difficult to grasp and pull into the first date-setting position. To securely do so I had to get a fingernail hooked on the underside of the crown, a task that was not always successful. Flipping the replica watch over to view the solid case back we can see the link between the Lew & Huey logo and Cerberus: the case back has a modified, three headed version of the Lew & Huey logo. It’s a clever design and a nice touch tying into the model name. Overall the case has excellent finish with some contrasting brushed and polished details. The case does call on elements from other replica watches, such as the Rolex Milgauss and the Omega Aqua Tera, but it does not come across at all as a homage of any specific replica watch, although it does feel familiar.

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Dial and Hands

There is not a lot on the dial of the Cerberus, but there is a lot going on. Different layers, patterns and colors make for an eye catching design. The luxury replica watch has a choice of three different primary dial colors (blue, white and gray) each with an different accent color (orange, blue and red, respectively) around the internal bezel surrounding the dial. The secondary colors give the replica watch a little pop of color as a contrast to the primary dial color. The text on the dial is limited to just the brand name and logo beneath 12 o’clock with the model name and “automatic” above the date window at 6 o’clock.

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The center portion of the multi-level dial has the primary color with a ribbed pattern running from 12 to 6. This pattern plays with the light and gives the dial different looks in different lighting conditions which is a really nice effect. Around the central area is a two tiered chapter ring. The first part is silver and has minute markers along with block, luminescent hour markers. The second part of the chapter ring matches the dial color and has numerals every 5 minutes with stick markers on the additional minutes. The last element of the dial is the outer ring that has the contrasting color. It is just enough color to provide visual interest and without being gaudy or overwhelming.

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The hands are the same across the three dial colors and a nice fit for the overall design. They appear to be almost split down the middle, two-piece hands with luminescent material throughout a portion of each hand. They are actually solid hands with that ribbon of lume. The hands do not get lost in the dial on any of the colors and the lume works quite well. The seconds hand stretches all the way to the edge of the colored outer ring, covering all of the chapter indices, which is a nice attention to detail. It’s opposite end is jet shaped, which is a nice touch but does not quite fit in with the rest of the design.

Bracelet and Wearability

For the Cerberus, Lew & Huey went with a H-link style bracelet that tapers from 22mm at the lugs to 20mm at the clasp. Between the links and the micro-adjustments on the clasp I had no problem finding the right fit for the Cerberus on my wrist. The replica watch weighs in at 181 grams with the full bracelet links; 162 grams for the replica watch I wore, with a few links out. The bracelet has solid end links and uses pins for the removable links. The signed clasp is a double push button type with a flip lock as well. The Cerberus really wears like a sports replica watch; the weight and case design lend heavily to this. However, the dial design still gives the replica watch enough panache that it could wear well in a business environment as well. Which, is what Lew & Huey had in mind.

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Movement

Lew & Huey went with the excellent Miyota 9015 automatic movement for the Cerberus. The 9015 is a 24 jewel automatic movement, with an estimated power reserve of 42 hours, has a hacking seconds hand and can also be hand wound, and beats at 28,800 bph. The movement in the pieces I had ran very well and functioned exactly as one would expect. Not a lot more to say here, other than a good, solid choice by Lew & Huey.

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Conclusion

The Cerberus wants to fit into the spot between a sports-style replica watch and a dress-syle replica watch. The build quality and heft give it a sports replica watch feel for sure, but it is missing a screw down crown and some might like to see better water resistance. On the flip side the polished bezel and attractive lines lend it towards the more dressy side, but it is perhaps a little too busy to be a strictly dress replica watch. Given that, it seems that perhaps the Cerberus meets its hybrid goal. It is up to the owner, really, how will it will work for either situation. The dial is the best part with its play on colors and interesting hands; all three of the dial options look great in person. A solid bracelet and well designed case round out this solid offering from Lew & Huey.

All three dial options of the Cerberus are available directly from Lew & Huey for $575 USD.