176 H-Factory (WRONGLY) short review [PICS HEAVY]

[kilowattore]

**************************************************************
BE CAREFUL - THE WATCH REVIEWED HERE IS A NOOB M-SERIES NOT A H-FAC


The watch reviewed here by kilowattore was bought in a M2M sale by this member.
Seller said it was a H Fac M-series and kilowattore started the review and the thread considering this watch as a H Fac model

Then we all started the discussion, considering it a H Fac and a little surprised with the improvements showed in this replica in relation to other H Fac 44mm Luminor

Many details type Noob were appearing and some members gave the alarm about a possible mistake.

Warning signs were more and more frequent and finally this watch was actually indentified as a Noob M-sereis

We will keep this thread closed to can see the interesting discussion and identification process.

Kilowattore kindly will edit this thread and will start another correct review of a Noob M-series

Thanks
ALE

**************************************************************



(wrongly) H-FAC PAM 176



Model: 176
Movement: A6497
Maker: H-Factory
Dealer: m2m



Well, while waiting to decide which 382 to get, I was browsing the sales section on all forums (no way I can stop buying...) and spotted a good deal on this nice rep. Since I was very satisfied with my other titanium PAM, the 346, I decided to try a Luminor as well, at the least it's something you don't see around so often lately
This is the H-fac version, thus it doesn't feature the improvements made by Noob in their v3 cases. The differences have been extensively discussed by ALE and Klockis in their awesome review here.
I will only say that this case might not be the best now available, but it's still a great looking and solid case, I'm fully satisfied with it
Finally let me take the chance to thank QinetiQ for sending me this beauty and for being a kind and fair seller.

CASE





The whole case is made of brushed titanium, according to the maker's specs, and as per its gen counterpart.
In the pics it looks a bit yellowish due to the lights I use during the photoshoot.
The overall effect is great, the all brushed look gives the Luminor case a different and somewhat rougher look.





The whole watch has a nice, gen-like feel to it even though it somewhat looses in comparison to the perfect shapes of the noob case of my 390 and the incredible finish of my kw 346.



As you can see in the pics titanium can be scratched quite easily, and being this a used watch, some dings and signs of wear can be noticed. I also read somewhere that titanium, much like bronze, will develop its own patina with time. I wouldn't know if it's something that is present on this case or not, the color seems quite uniform to me.


CROWNGUARD





The crown guard is brushed like the rest of the case, and the finish is nice as well. The CG pin is almost perfectly flush with it, while the lever isn't. It sits a fraction of millimeter higher than the CG, anyway this is something I noticed only reviewing my pics and can be barely noticed on the wrist.
The CG lever shuts tight and the global feeling is quite solid.





DIAL



PAM 176 features a simple black dial without the small seconds at nine, plain, simple and great looking
Numerals tend to become a light azure color after being under the light thanks to the awesome lume applied.





The black hands are nicely shaped and the CP is one of the best I saw ootb, almost perfectly flush.
Inscriptions on the dial are the correct creamy color. Font is correct as far as I can tell.



Differences from gen, if there are any, are a matter of microscope
Crystal is sapphire with single sided colorless AR. As I noticed in all the other PAMs mounting sapphire crystals, AR seems pretty weak and reflections in the crystal are impossible to avoid under the light. Nothing that affects readability during normal use, but a PITA for shooting pics

Lume shot:


CASEBACK



The display caseback shows the a6497 movement with decorated plates. The cote de geneve decoration and the "OFFICINE PANERAI" inscription are nice and defined, but could be a little more deeply engraved.



The outer ring features all the correct engravings, again well executed. The M serial is correct (no odd numbers).







CONCLUSIONS



All in all a great rep and a welcome addition, definitely worth to be in every collection.
Another really beautiful PAM rep



Some more pics:































As usual feel free to comment any inaccuracies or missing detail, I will be happy to update the review.

:cheers:

 

[ALE7575]

Thanks kilowattore for this new and interesting pictorial and review

It shows perfectly that this watch is a very good rep and not far from Noob version
It seems that in a brushed Hmaker case the differences of finish are less evident and the contours of the lugs are better defined
CG shows a bit rounded inner edges but the inner corners are really squared, the CG pin is flush enough, it really is almost equivalent to Noob in practice.
CP seems good too.
Maybe the inscriptions on dial are not as raised and shiny as in Noob version and obviously not so nice. But it is no easy to say from the pics
I like this version more than I expected

Titanium patina is made of Titanium Oxide and it is grey and uniform. Unlike the bronze patina, Titanium Oxide patina protects the metal surface to continue getting patina. You cannot realize it except a little more dark grey colour. Bronze patina has a more complex and variable composition and it is uneven and increasing with time.

It is curious that this watch is fitted with a Noob movement (see Swan Neck) as I have already seen many times in last replicas from Hmaker. Indeed you are talking about the OFFICINE PANERAI is engraved instead of painted.

Congrats and thank for sharing it

I will include this link in PAM GUIDE asap

ALE

 

[kilowattore]

Thanks for the comment and info ALE, I had no idea the movement was the noob one!

Regarding oxidation, this is in fact a bit darker than my 346, it's a slight difference but I like how it makes it look "older"

 

[d4m.test]

This is truly gorgeous. The corners on the CG body are very square, which was a huge surprise to me. The lever tip even seems more noob but it doesn't have the same facets worked on the underside. I am hoping that H factory is starting to fine tune their CGs. It looks promising.

 

[psychom3]

Thanks for the detailed review!

 

[sanankid]

Thanks h fac has vastly improve the cg lever which used yo be a huge tell.

 

[kilowattore]

This is truly gorgeous. The corners on the CG body are very square, which was a huge surprise to me. The lever tip even seems more noob but it doesn't have the same facets worked on the underside. I am hoping that H factory is starting to fine tune their CGs. It looks promising.

I must admit I would have a hard time telling a noob case from a H
Anyway I hope they stay in the game because I am quite happy with this one and I will definitely check their releases for future buys.
Sure this is a very competitive segment: Noob, H-fac, KW and Z-fac have all been releasing great and accurate reps

 

[ALE7575]

I must admit I would have a hard time telling a noob case from a H
Anyway I hope they stay in the game because I am quite happy with this one and I will definitely check their releases for future buys.
Sure this is a very competitive segment: Noob, H-fac, KW and Z-fac have all been releasing great and accurate reps

We should continue making comparisons and encouraging competition

ALE

BTW I forgot it -> rep points to kilowattore

 

[started]

the crystal looks slightly more raised than a typical h fac watch. and the crown looks like the "fat" noob ones, rather than the "slim" ones.

a lot of noob fac characteristics..

 

[d4m.test]

This is interesting. Noob movement, noob-like CG corners, Noob-like lever tip, noob fat crown....I also note the CG pin is slightly raised.... This is a M2M purchase. I am thinking this is a noob or a hybrid build with Noob and H Fac parts

 

[ALE7575]

Yes I'm starting to doubt because the lever body is not H maker either. H maker is more variable in thickness
And now even the lugs seem fatter than H maker, although we have no directly side pics to see the real shape
Maybe H maker has not improved, as we said, and we actually have a Noob !

This becomes really interesting

ALE

 

[ALE7575]

Almost confirmed
Caseback is also Noob
H maker has the serial number closer to PANERAI and Noob closer to 300m like kilowattore watch
Fat Crown seems Noob too

ALE

 

[kilowattore]

Thanks ALE for rep points

Regarding the case you're making me doubt. After all, as Grimlocktime said, this is a m2m deal and it is indeed possible that this is a sort of hybrid. I would see no point selling a noob watch as a H factory given the higher appeal of noob.
Unluckily seller can not chime in here cause he's banned, and in the end he could have bought it in m2m as well. I will try however to pm him on RG to know where did he source the watch.

Anyway here's a couple of pics of the side so you can check lug shape:







If needed I can shoot some more in a few days

 

[d4m.test]

Noob lugs too

In the long run you have a nicer watch for your money. I will choose the noob over the H Fac out of the box any day.

 

[kilowattore]

This was a GREAT deal then :lol:

 

[kilowattore]

Ok, seller pm'd me and he's not 100% positive this is H-factory. Just for the record he's been super kind and helpful, I'm more than ok with him.

At this point I wait for ALE's opinion, should the thread title be changed to "176 noob factory"?
Or it's better to state H-factory unconfirmed?

Either choice is fine for me, sorry for the mess guys.

 

[ALE7575]

CONFIRMED the case is also Noob seeing the last pics. No necessary more

With reasons we are saying this watch looked better than expected !! And I even said : "It is not far from Noob version" !

We would need to confirm the dial

I have studied the last pic and I have seen the inscriptions are actually raised



We would need a front pic of the dial and inscriptions to make some checking and confirm it definitively

But the tail of the "R" and the low middle bar of the "A" are very Noob from M-series too


************************************************************************************************

Regarding to change the tittle, we need to see what is the best option to not get confused people reading this thread.
1- I can change the tittle, but all the following post will not make sense.
2- I can delete the thread and you can start a new correct thread, but we will lose this interesting discussion which shows we are objective checking and reviewing watches, since we were saying from the beginning this was a very good watch and close to Noob version

I would prefer delete this wrong thread and start again a new one
My main concern is getting people confused about these versions

Please tell me your ideas.

BTW: CONGRATS kilowattore you have paid H maker and getting Noob !!
Please take the front pic of the dial and macro of inscriptions.

Thanks
ALE

 

[kilowattore]

Hopefully I can shoot a front pic tonight.
Regarding the review it's no problem for me to repost the thread, but if you want to keep the discussion I'm fine with editing the whole review in short time

 

[kilowattore]

...And yes, I got a noob for the price of a H factory!

 

[ALE7575]

Thanks kilowattore for the offer I will bear it in mind

PLEASE ...More thoughts about the edition ??

ALE