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Panerai 243 Diver - H Factory vs Noob Factory!


mikellem

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Not sure if its your particular Noob crystal that has issues but my 243 is spotlessly clear. Not comparing vs the H-fact version but based on the various pieces I have in my collection or pieces I've seen its more than not an issue. Far from any DSN hazy crystals.

IMG_5099.jpg

But if they are doing an upgrade for the dial, that would be useful.

That said, all the comments that the dial is not superlume need to be taken with a pinch of salt. I felt the same way till I did a comparison against a C3 lumed piece I have. Both faded out at the same intensity. H-fact may be added more lume or applying it better/thicker which gives it better glow.

IMG_5133.gif

Lume (1sec exposure, 3 min between shots)

At the end of the day, the bezel and CG are the dealbreakers for the H-factory IMO. The 243 is defined by these two aspects and the Noob nailed it.

Edited by unregistered
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So I guess we have the N-Factory while deceiving buyers by claiming C3 Luminova, many DOA's (as reported by other members on various boards), still being the best? I realize some of the variants are minscule and require a loop to see in the wild. I personally think the H Factory gets the marks for the best out of the box, that requires less mods. 12 and 6 slightly thinner yes..comically so, i don't think so. Bezel 60 clicks vs 120, who really cares, 120 click in the H could be what makes it look "not quite right", will discuss that later of bezels get loose and fall of the N factory. Most dealers have reported that the N factory is delayed to to issues with the glass, so who knows what you'll get in V2, double AR instead of single like the 111M? Bet the 28.8 movements get dropped in favor of the less desired 21.6 movement to adjust for all of these revisions :)

For modders they're in all their glory lots of work thanks to the deception of the 1:1 reps. No doubt they're so much better than they were. If your're willing to accept a few microscopic flaws either is nice. It's all a matter of how fanatical you are.

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To me, the accuracy of the dial and case are paramount in a rep... It's not about "getting spotted" by someone on the street -- it's about what I personally notice and care about. The Noob gets these two critical aspects more right than the H-Factory.

The H-Factory is for someone who doesn't care as much for side-by-side accuracy, and just wants a nice hunk of metal on their wrist... that glows nicely, I guess...

BTW, despite the reports about the N-Factory movement, the factory that has consistently had the movement issues is the H-Factory -- not the Noob... Almost half (or more) of the H-Factory 6497-1's failed (there was a poll about it a while ago... personally, most of mine did.)

And I doubt we'll see the 21.6 movements again, they haven't been in a new Pam rep for three years.

I don't have a horse in the race between N and H Factory.... All I care about it accuracy. I recently ordered the Noob 243 from Puretime, but thanks to an a foolish RWI member who blew up Puretime's PayPal account by writing "Puretime Watches/Pam 243" in the subject, Angus cancelled the order and shut down his PP for good... Lots of people lost their orders thanks to this member...

Get the version you want... But, I appreciate accuracy -- and I like to push these factories to do the best job they can on these.

:)

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And I doubt we'll see the 21.6 movements again, they haven't been in a new Pam rep for three years.

If I'm not mistaken were the original 359, 328 etc first released with the 28.8 7750, then after revisions they changed it to the 21.6.? I assume they do this to offset whatever costs they put into changing the tooling necessary to make the revisions they do, or say they do, while still keeping thier profit margins high. Anyway I do agree with you. I would like the closest thing to the gen without having to pay for the gen. But in the rep game I've learned not to be so anal. If whatever watch you order arrives and works and you have no issues for many months/years..you're already ahead of the game. The more their touched, modded and passed around the stakes go up. And there is no guarantee that any revisions will correct everything the old 1 step forward 2 steps back game.

Edited by Steve G
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I know this might sound crazy and I have been a supporter of the Noob 243, I do think its a great rep (reliability notwithstanding). But when I look at the side-by-side of the H and the N versions I prefer the H. Yeah maybe the bezel markers aren't as accurate or the crownguard, but there's something about it that just looks higher quality than the N. Like I said crazy but just my observation.

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The 243 is NOT like your 111, 005 etc. The most iconic part is the bezel which is completely wrong on the H (and no I'm not talking about 120 clicks vs 60). Just look at the pics in the review.

The H CG is also wrong and can be spot a mile away.

People get so hung up on lume but quite frankly that's not a big deal in everyday life. BTW The Zigmeister can fix the lume, who can fix the incorrect bezel format and CG?

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The 243 is NOT like your 111, 005 etc. The most iconic part is the bezel which is completely wrong on the H (and no I'm not talking about 120 clicks vs 60). Just look at the pics in the review.

The H CG is also wrong and can be spot a mile away.

People get so hung up on lume but quite frankly that's not a big deal in everyday life. BTW The Zigmeister can fix the lume, who can fix the incorrect bezel format and CG?

+1 Agreed 100%. That H bezel just looks wrong... Plus, the H-Factory's dial sucks, except for the lume... This is a no-brainer, IMO.

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I don't think it's a complete no brainer, it's really more of a toss-up between the two as far as I'm concerned. I think you really can't go wrong either way, and believe me I'm not sticking my head in the sand, I've owned the gen twice (I and L series). There's just something about the H I can't quite put my finger on, but then again I'm not looking for a gen replacement just a solid rep.

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Excellent comparison. It seems like for now you need to get both to get a good one (the CG on Noob is out of this world though. The H lever is awful)

Interesting enough Tony (asian7750) is not selling the noob yet. He's waiting for the fixes so I'm assuming it should come in a few weeks.

Tx, Thanks very much..You thoughts are very well respected! I am sure there has to be a new Noob in the work, I hope anyway!! ;)

MM

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Excellent review, thanks for taking the time to do this. I've had one of the these on the short list for a while. I have a good 187 but it's just too big to wear. I hoping the 243 feels a little smaller

For me the fit and finish being to genuine standards is more important than a detail that only shows on a mega pixel macro shot.. so the cloudy crystal would be a major problem. I guess I'll wait for the updated noob and make a decision between the two.

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Excellent review, thanks for taking the time to do this. I've had one of the these on the short list for a while. I have a good 187 but it's just too big to wear. I hoping the 243 feels a little smaller

For me the fit and finish being to genuine standards is more important than a detail that only shows on a mega pixel macro shot.. so the cloudy crystal would be a major problem. I guess I'll wait for the updated noob and make a decision between the two.

Hey logan, The 243 is definitely a lot smaller than the 187. I personally can not wear the 187, it's just too big for my wrist...

Sounds like waiting is a good idea. ;) That's what I am doing...

MM

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Excellent review, thanks for taking the time to do this. I've had one of the these on the short list for a while. I have a good 187 but it's just too big to wear. I hoping the 243 feels a little smaller

For me the fit and finish being to genuine standards is more important than a detail that only shows on a mega pixel macro shot.. so the cloudy crystal would be a major problem. I guess I'll wait for the updated noob and make a decision between the two.

Hey Logan, Good to see you back here..;)

The cloudiness only shows when you compare it to the H factory. Maybe it's the AR causing this. When I look at the 243 Noob by itself, the clarity looks fine.

Hard to explain...

The biggest weakness I found on the 243 Noob is the lume is very poor. But then again, When the factories are supposedly using Super-luminova, the dials

are torches except there is no longevity...

MM

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According to Connie the N factory will launch a new batch around the 20th of february

Just ordered the H version

The Louchebem

Yes I ended up ordering the H version as well, on it's way from Josh as we speak.

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