In the Flesh: Lew & Huey Cerberus

If you haven’t noticed, our favorite timeless brands seem to be getting more and more expensive. While this throws a wrench into our watch buying plans, it has also opened up several price brackets below the $3,000 price range. One of the most competitive of those brackets is the $500 – $1,000. You’ll find anything from homages from brands like Steinhart and Raven, to unique offerings from Halios and Deep Blue. One of the newer entrants is Lew & Huey.

Lew & Huey started out of what must have seemed like a sign from above. Founder Chris Vail, in less than a week, both lost his job and had his watch stop on him. So what did he do? He took the “obvious” route and decided to get into the watch business. Two years later, he’s sold out one watch (the Riccardo), has three currently available (Cerberus, Acciona, and Spectre), and two in the pipeline (Orthos and Legends). If there’s one common trait in L&H’s lineup, it’s uniqueness. Vail’s mission is to not do boring watches – and his success in that is hard to argue.

White dial Cerberus

Vail was kind enough to send along three dial variations of the Cerberus: white, blue, and grey. First impression of the Cerberus is a good one. Well-proportioned, solid build quality, and sporty-yet-classic looks. On the website, the Cerberus is described as hitting both sporty and dressy notes. I’d have to say ‘dressy’ is a slight stretch, as the ribbed texture of the dial, with the splashes of color on the outer minute track and the rehaut belie that description. That’s not to say you couldn’t wear it with a suit, but the overall look leans towards sporty or casual. At any rate, I see plenty of guys in downtown Boston wearing digital Casios and Timexes with suits, so the Cerberus would be a huge step up from that perspective.

Although the dial firmly plants the Cerberus in casual territory, it’s also the star of the show. Everything else around the dial is fairly straightforward, leaving it as the focal point. Sitting in between the inner part of the dial and the outermost minute track is a silver disk which elicits thoughts of the Hamilton Pan Europ, or at least a general vintage feel. Then the aforementioned textured inner dial. Depending on what angle you’re viewing it, or how the light hits, it will shift colors — this is a unique, and well executed touch. The hands are thick, matching the hour markers, which allow for a useful amount of lume. The only adjustment I might want is the minute hand to be extended to the far side of the hour markers, but that’s a nitpick.

Blue dial Cerberus

On the wrist, the Cerberus makes itself known with a 42-millimeter width and 12.8-millimeter thickness. With the near perfect modern size, it should have no problems fitting under a cuff. A nicely polished bezel works its way into twisted lugs, reminiscent of the Speedmaster. You’ll find alternating polished and brushed surfaces on the two facets of the lugs, finishing with the brushed sides of the case. The best feature (in my strap-crazy mind) is the drilled-through lugs – an excellent choice often overlooked by watchmakers.

Grey dial Cerberus

For small brands like Lew & Huey, bracelet quality is typically a concern; an unfounded concern, in this case. The Cerberus’ bracelet is well made. Featuring solid end links and a push button fold-over clasp with a safety latch, the Cerberus isn’t going anywhere. The link design reminds me of Sinn’s widely used steel bracelet, but with more squared center links. Overall, the bracelet feel is as good or better than anything else you’ll find for the price.

The Cerberus is hard not to like. Powered by the reliable Miyota 9015, and sporting very balanced looks, it’s a versatile and fun watch. The bold blue, red, or orange rehaut plays with light on the ribbed dial in an interesting way not too often seen on the market. For $575, Lew & Huey has a strong competitor in that price range, as crowded as the space is. With the bevy of homages in the $500 – $1,000 range, we’re excited to see someone doing something different – keep it up, Lew & Huey.

To find out more about the Cerberus, check it out here.

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