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PAM243
- Thread starter Hawker789
- Start date
Both models (Noob & H-Fac) have there Pros and Cons.
I got a great deal on mine, which is a H-Fac V3 and I personally love it.
Everything about it is awesome and the Lume is just fantastic!!
The 6 & 9 do look a little closer to Gen on the Noob, but the H-Fac is just a hair thinner on both numerals.
The are some great comparison threads you can read comparing both to a Gen model.
All in all im extremely happy with mine and glad I went with the H-Fac in the end.
I got a great deal on mine, which is a H-Fac V3 and I personally love it.
Everything about it is awesome and the Lume is just fantastic!!
The 6 & 9 do look a little closer to Gen on the Noob, but the H-Fac is just a hair thinner on both numerals.
The are some great comparison threads you can read comparing both to a Gen model.
All in all im extremely happy with mine and glad I went with the H-Fac in the end.
There isn't even an H-Fac V2, let alone a V3. You're probably talking about what some dealers call the Noob V3 which is just a re-issue of the Noob V2. So it's a bit interesting to hear Noob beating itself. :lol:
Just go with the Noob, can't go wrong there.
however, in my experience the H-fac steel may be slightly more scratch resistant. I'm not sure though, and can't test this because I don't have a hardness tester.
my experience is from: pam372 h and noob, ap diver v5 (h) and v5.1
however, in my experience the H-fac steel may be slightly more scratch resistant. I'm not sure though, and can't test this because I don't have a hardness tester.
my experience is from: pam372 h and noob, ap diver v5 (h) and v5.1
Just send it off to a watchsmith to get all seals greased up....or you can do it yourself. There are plenty of sources on how to do it. I am planning on sending off my 243 for waterproofing in the coming week or two.
- 4/5/13
- 1,145
- 25
- 48
There is no reason to send the watch out for waterproofing. The noob 243 is very well made and it should be well sealed from the factory. I waterproofed mine as follows: unscrew the two screws holding the crown guard in place and remove the cg from the watch. Next, using a sticky ball or caseback tool remove the case back. Pull the crown out to the time set position which hacks the movement. Next use a small 1mm or less screwdriver, depress the release button on the movement to release the crown. Next, gently remove the gasket from the bottom of the crown using tweezers. Open up you small tub of silicon grease and put the gasket on the grease, then flip it over and repeat. Don't push the gasket into the grease. You only need a tiny bit of grease on the gasket to get the job done. Next, replace the gasket into its slot on the bottom of the crown and insert the crown/stem back into the watch--depressing the release button again to like ck the crown in place. Test to make sure it is in in place and you can change the time, date and wind. I like to put a little 220 loctite into the threads in the case where the cg screws in and then reinstall crown guard. Finally, gently remove the gasket for the case back with tweezers and rub a very small amount of silicon grease around the gasket with you finger put it back in the groove. screw the case back into place so it is sealed well, but don't over tighten. Job done. Unless you are planning on actually diving with the watch to depths greater than 50m/150ft you should be just fine.
The watch should now be waterproof to at least 200m. You can always have a local watchsmith test it for around $20--I don't brother anymore with noob divers. Last summer I dove to 96 feet in strong current with my then fresh from the factory noob AP Diver 3.5. The watch was perfect without my own water proofing. Good luck!
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I just did that to my 243 as well but i used petroleum jelly from vaseline which i heard works great too.
What about the helium valve? I was fiddling with it just now and realized it is actually a real opening, but i have no idea how to waterproof it
Does anyone know how to grease the helium valve gaskets, if it has any at all?
Obviously, you have to uncase the movement to reach the HE valve. I have not heard of this being a leakage source, but the older noob sea-dwellers had a weak point by the he valve and it was was resolved with marine grade epoxy (although any epoxy will probably do the trick). before you do that, why not have the case pressure tested by a local watch smith. I think this may be overkill on your part.
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You just gave me the confidence to dive with a rep. So far only dare to swim with it.