Panerai 3xx series (312, 320 etc.) how good are they?

[pinopes]

Question for everyone. Just wanted people's opinion regarding the quality and accuracy of the 3xx series watches (i.e 312, 320 etc.). Is it as good as the H-factory's quality and accuracy? (i.e. 005, 177, 318, 026) If not, how does it compare? Also, who builds these 3xx series and who are the top dealers for these, same as the ones carrying the H-factory watches I assume?

 

[tokeyx]

I'm also curious, specifically how the lume compares to H factory lume

 

[OiRogers]

I have a 329L and several of the hand wound H Factory pieces... (005, 026, 177)... Honestly, the H factory watches are a big leap forward in overall build quality... The Lume is outstanding.
My 329 has good Lume, head and shoulders above every other rep I have ever seen, until you compare it to the H Factory... 329 is good, H Factory is great.

Build quality on the 329 is good... The movement (7750) is obviously more prone to issues than the 6497s in the hand wound H Factory watches... My biggest gripe is the CG lever didn't seal the stem area until I added an o-ring to the crown in addition to the existing seals. My particular watch also takes a pretty firm tug to get the stem to the "time set" position.

All in all, I'm thrilled with the 329... It blows reps of a year ago out of the water in every respect and is the best auto-Pam I've seen yet... But it does have some short comings when compared to the H Factory hand wound watches.

I would recommend the H Factory watches to anyone, the 3xx series I would also recommend, but with the warning that they aren't as "Gen-like" as the H Factory pieces.