Company: Kratos
Model: Cerebrum proto
Specifications:
CuSn8 Bronze
Domed Sapphire Crystal
42mm Case excluding Crown. 17mm Lug Width
26mm-17mm Rubber Strap
51.5mm Lug to Lug
300m Water Resistant
Miyota 9015 Automatic Movement
C3 Superluminova lumed hands
Kickstarter has been the home of many watch products as of late and it is hard to keep track of which ones are worth your time and most importantly your money. I have had the unique experience to see some of these watches during the KS campaigns. Some that I thought were amazing and weren’t funded and others that I couldn’t believe that were funded. Scary actually(none that were reviewed by me though). In comes the Cerebrum from Kratos Watch Company. My first initial impression was “this is a Kickstarter watch?” As we explore this watch together you will understand what I mean by this.
I don’t know even know where to start between the dial or the case. Both immediately caught my attention. Since I can’t decide I will default to the case first. The 42mm case has a unique shape that is very outside of the box and I really like it. A unique case shape can be hit or miss, but Kratos definitley hit the mark with this octagon shaped case. The angles on this watch are just awesome. It doesn’t hurt either that this case is CuSn8 bronze and it already has some nice patina forming on it. I have become a huge bronze watch fan over the past year.
Located at the 4 o’clock position you will find the signed screw down crown which operates smooth and is surprisingly easy to grip. The crown has small waved lines that are quite smooth that one would think that it wouldn’t be easy to grip.
They way that the lugs are set up it allows the Cerebrum to wear truer to its 42mm size as opposed to wearing bigger. The Cerebrum case size is actually ideal and I think anything smaller/bigger wouldn’t look as good as it does currently. You can tell that a lot of thought went into the case size and design on this watch. The 17mm spaced lugs are quite small and almost undermounted. The stainless steel screw down case back features the same wave lines that are found throughout this watch, which one would think that they are waves of water, but given the name Cerebrum, I believe that they are actually brain waves which is very cool. If you have a chance, please read the inspiration and backstory of where Kratos got the Cerebrum from.
The gleaming white textured dial is well executed and allows the Cerebrum to draw attention straight to the wrist when it’s strapped on. The waved lines create such a unique textured look on the dial and creates some nice depth. The applied triangle indices just adds more to overall depth on this dial. It’s really stunning in person, more so than what comes across in the pictures. And if you are a fan of lume, the Cerebrum doesn’t disappoint thanks to the C3 Superluminova treatment. This same treatment can be found on the hands of this watch as well. Speaking of the hands, the second hand is my favorite hand on this watch. The diamond tip of the long second hand is lumed and the opposite end features an awesome open circle. I love unique and beautiful second hand on watches it a simple detail that adds so much to the dial. The arrow head shaped hour and minute hands are just as nice and also are treated with C3 Superluminova. This dial glows brightly when charged from a light source.
Kratos picked the Miyota 9015 to be the heart of the Cerebrum. A reliable choice in deed and a good alternative to the ETA counterpart. The 9015 has a -10~30 seconds per day accuracy rate beating at 28800 vibrations per minute. The 24 jeweled movement also has a 42 hour power reserve when fully wound.
The rubber strap on the Cerebrum is a good choice for strap materials. I actually prefer a black NATO/Zulu strap with bronze keepers for my bronze watches, but this is closely followed by a rubber strap. At the case the rubber strap comes in at 17mm at the lugs. The rubber strap is pretty comfortable and easily conforms to any wrist size from around 6″ to 8″+.
The Cerebrum is a very solid offering from a Kickstarter view point. It actually exceeded my expectations. From the initial handling of this watch, it felt quality. The case is worth the pledge alone, early birds get a real steal at $349. The domed saphirre crystal is what sealed the deal for me personally, I’m a sucker for a nice domed crystal. The Cerebrum functions brilliantly and is well executed from what I have experienced from this prototype. If this is funded, then I will update this review with a comparison of an actual production piece.
From what I see and have fully experienced from handling this watch, it is definitely going to be worth checking out, and if you can get it at the early bird price this would be a foolish watch to pass up. A definite must have for anyone looking for their first bronze watch without sacrificing too much from the wallet.
The only thing that I would change on the Cerebrum is the crown edges. I think some good deep cog style edges would look killer on this watch. The crown is nicely signed and looks good, but it can be brought even further in my nit picky opinion. If the production pieces are this nice, I would have no reservations recommending this watch to people either looking for a bronze watch or for a watch that truly thinks outside of the box.
I want to thank Kratos for this honor and opportunity, I truly appreciate it.
Thank you for reading, and be sure to keep an eye out for this campaign. It will be worth your time.
7 1/2″ wrist for reference:
Time to Blog Watches 