Hamilton Caliber H-50 Watch Movement

Brand	Hamilton
Caliber Number	H-50
In-House?	No
Based On	ETA caliber C07.701
Movement Type	Mechanical, manual-wind
Lignes	11.5”’
Diameter	25.6mm
Height	3.35mm
Jewels	17
Beat Rate	21,600 vph (3 Hz)
Lift Angle	Unconfirmed (50 degrees?)
Power Reserve	80 hours (3.3 days)
Regulator Type	None (done by laser adjustment at the factory)
Anti-Shock Device	Nivachoc (3 prongs)
Hand Count	3
Functions	Central hours; central minutes; central sweeping seconds; date at 3:00 (some watches using this caliber are no-date)
Hacking Seconds?	Yes
Country of Manufacture	Switzerland, Swiss made
Known Models	Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm (Ref: H69439933, H69439363), Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical Brown 50mm (Ref: H69829560), Hamilton Field Mechanical Blackout 50mm (Ref: H69809730), Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer Mechanical 36 (Ref: H76419931, H76419531, H76419941, H76419951), Hamilton Boulton (Add your watch to the comments below…)

The Hamilton caliber H-50 is a handwound mechanical movement with 17 jewels and a power reserve of up to 80 hours.

Some of the topics covered in this caliber listing:

In Hamilton’s own words:

“The H-50 is an exclusive caliber specifically developed for our handwinding watches. The H-50 is available with or without a date function and has an extended power reserve of up to 80 hours, ensuring maximum reliability even when it is not wound for a few days.” –Source

Notice how they say the cal. H-50 is exclusive and specially developed for their handwinding watches, however, the image on their site (as well as if you look at actual watches with this movement), clearly shows the ETA logo and caliber C07.701 under the balance wheel.

The caliber numbering convention with Swatch Group brands and ETA (also owned by Swatch Group), has gotten increasingly confusing. So it is a Hamilton caliber H-50, but also an ETA caliber C07.701 and is produced exclusively for Hamilton handwinding watches? Pick one! Perhaps this new numbering system is a way to avoid any issues with being called a monopoly, but whatever the reason, it’s making it more confusing for consumers who are paying $845 for a watch with this movement.

In at least one other place on their site, Hamilton also refers to the H-50 as being “awesome” (source).

Hamilton H-50 VS ETA C07.701:

Apparently the H-50 is the same thing at the C07.701 (as mentioned above). A more interesting comparison would be the ETA C07.701 VS ETA 2801-2.

How do you regulate the H-50 for timekeeping?

As with other C07.XXX based calibers, the H-50 is laser-regulated at the ETA factory and not intended to be regulated by the watch owner or a hired watchmaker. Therefore, you must send your watch back to Swatch Group for regulation. With that said, if you watch is gaining time, you could always try to demagnetize it before opting for sending in for service.

Can you over-wind the Hamilton H-50?

Yes, it is possible to overwind watches powered by the H50 manunal-wind movement. When you start to feel pressure or tension while winding, it’s almost time to stop. If you feel like you cannot wind it any further, it’s definitely time to stop. Do not force it.

Of course fully winding the movement will get you the maximum power reserve, but the good news is that since the mainspring is capable of 80 hours of power reserve, stopping early in the winding process will still get you more running time that a typical mechanical watch.

If you have had any issues with overwinding the H-50, please talk about it in the comments below…

Date VS No-Date:

There are quite a few Hamilton models currently using the H-50 movement, some with a date, others without. Caliber Corner is working to obtain a no-date watch to confirm whether or not it has a phantom date crown position or just one position for time-setting mode only. Will update this section upon physical confirmation.