ETA caliber C01.211 Watch Movement

Manufacturer	ETA
Caliber Number	C01.211
Based On	Lemania 5100
Movement Type	Automatic, self-winding mechanical, chronograph
Lignes	13.75”’
Diameter	31mm
Height	8.44mm
Jewels	15
Beat Rate	21,600 bph, 3 Hz
Lift Angle	48 degrees
Accuracy	See below…
Power Reserve	46 hours
Hand Windable?	Yes
Hand Winding Direction	Clockwise
Anti-Shock System	Novodiac, Nivachoc-B1
Hand Count	6
Hand Sizes	1.5mm (hour) / .9mm (minute) / .25mm (chrono) / .2mm (subdials)
Functions	Central hours; central minutes; central chronograph seconds; running seconds subdial at 9:00; 30 minute chronograph counter at 12:00; 6 hour counter at 6:00; date at 3:00
Chronograph Layout	Tri-Compax, 12/6/9
Hacking Seconds?	Yes
Quickset Date?	Yes
Plastic Parts?	Yes
Finishing	Minimal, black and silver painted rotor
Country of Manufacture	Switzerland, Swiss made
Known Models	Tissot PRC 200 Chronograph, Tissot T-Race Chronograph, Tissot Carson Chronograph, Tissot Chemin des Tourelles, Tissot Seastar 1000 Chrono, Tissot Couturier Chronograph, Tissot PRS 516 Extreme, Certina DS Action Diver Chronograph, Certina DS Podium Chronograph, Certina DS Eagle Chronograph, (Add your watch in the comments below…)

The ETA caliber C01.211 is a 15 jewels automatic chronograph movement made by ETA mainly for Tissot, but also Certina. Both brands are part of the Swatch Group conglomerate of Swiss watch companies. Interestingly, Tissot did not apply their own caliber designation to this movement. If you know of other brands using this movement, please add them to the comments below.

Some of the topics covered in this caliber listing:

Introduction:

The C01.211 was introduced by Tissot at Baselworld 2008 (first found in the Couturier model?). Official documentation was found dated back as far as March 2011, with updates as recently as February 2014 (although, this date is meaningless since ETA stopped providing documentation outside of the Swatch Group). As of 2023, this caliber is still being used in Tissot’s current collection.

Power Reserve:

ETA claims that the power reserve of the C01.211 is 46 hours, however, Tissot simply states “more than 42 hours”. You may have varying results, please discuss below. In order to reach full power reserve via manually winding the crown, turn the crown clockwise about 32 times. You cannot overwind this movement.

Chronograph Functions:

The C01.211 chronograph has a standard operating procedure: Top button = start/stop; bottom button = reset. Sequence: Top, top, bottom. Avoid pressing the buttons in the incorrect order.

Crown/Stem Removal:

When removing the crown and stem from your C01.211 powered watch, the crown should be in time-setting position (pulled out 2 clicks). There is a round detent button located near the stem (below it if the stem facing the 3:00 direction). Carefully press that button with your tool while extracting the stem.

Does it have plastic parts?

Yes, the C01.211 has plastic parts. So did the Lemania 5100, but not as many. Some of the plastic parts found in this caliber appear to be:

Setting stem bridge
Oscillating weight support
Date mechanism support
Pallet fork
Escape wheel

All of these parts can be seen in the video below.

Replacement Prices:

This movement is only available for Swatch Group brands and is not available for retail or wholesale purchase. You can find watches with this caliber priced around $500-600 USD, but the retail price for a brand new C01.211 powered Tissot Couturier is $950 on a leather strap or $1,025 on a steel bracelet (source https://www.tissotwatches.com/en-us/t0356271605100.html).

At the time of this post, a raw movement was listed for sale on eBay for $283.29 USD.

Compatibility:

The C01.211 is based on the now discontinued Lemania caliber 5100 framework, but that does not mean all parts are interchangeable. If you have experimented with using C01.211 parts in the 5100 or vice versa, please talk about it in the comments below…