They always fascinate watch lovers with its complications. They are the decisive buying incentive for a chronograph and as mechanical energy stores they always ensure reliable precision, even for a lifetime or longer. Its mechanism impresses with its complexity and its numerous components inside the watch: the mechanical movements.
Until the 1960s, Hanhart produced its own chronograph movements. The Calibre 40, 41 and 42 from the 30s and 40s were the heart of the first legendary pilot’s chronographs. Today, they represent not only a high real value among watch connoisseurs, but due to its significant history in aviation, seafaring and many other areas they also constitute a very high sentimental value. There are only a few functional and well-preserved specimens left, treasured by collectors with care and deep appreciation.
The two Swiss companies ETA SA and Sellita SA belong to the world’s leading manufacturers of high quality and excellent mechanical Calibres. Even the big players of the watch industry rely on the long-proven movements with the label “Swiss made”, and Hanhart also relates to the automatic Calibres of these producers, which serve as basis for every Hanhart wristwatch.
The movements ETA 7750, respectively Sellita SW 500, or ETA 7753 tick inside the Hanhart chronographs. They are modified in order to meet Hanhart’s high standards technically and visually.
ETA 7750 / Sellita SW 500
As Sellita has cancelled supplying other companies with ETA movements in 2003, the company has started to develop and produce successfully their own movements, based on old ETA Calibres with expired patent protection. That is why the Calibre Sellita SW 500, based on the ETA 7750 Calibre, offers the identical performance and reliability guarantees as ETA.
All Hanhart chronographs are still equipped with ETA 7750, except the PIONEER models Mk I, Mk II and TachyTele, which are equipped with ETA 7753. This movement will gradually be converted to Sellita SW 500 movements. Besides in house conversions and modifications, Hanhart cooperates with the experienced Swiss specialist La Joux Perret. With this partner for example the typical bicompax dial design as well as complications like the flyback function of the RACEMASTER GTF, can be realised. An in-house modification, undertaken in models with single-button conversion, realises the forwarding of start, stop and reset function to only one button.
The mechanical chronograph movement comes with a self-winding mechanism, 25 jewels, a frequency of 28,000 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), a diameter of 30 mm, a height of 7.9 mm. and it ensures a power reserve of approximately 48 hours.
ETA 7753
This Calibre is one of the newer Calibres of ETA movements (2002) and is installed in the models PIONEER Mk I, Mk II and TachyTele. Although it is based on the ETA in 7750, it differs strongly from it in structure.
The arrangement of the chronograph functions corresponds, unlike ETA 7750, already in the dial-scheme of Hanhart, so that no additional module for deflecting is required.
Since the Calibre lists a “tricompax” arrangement (subdials at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock) as well as a date function in the standard version, it still has to be modified to be Hanhart-conform: The pin of the hour counter is removed to realize the bicompax display design with small seconds at nine and the 30-minute counter at three o’clock. In addition, the date function, not featured in these models, has to be dismantled. An in house conversion, as for all mono-pusher models, in the PIONEER Mk I redirects the functions to one button.
The ETA 7753 movement also has a self-winding mechanism, a frequency of 28,000 A / h (4 Hz), a diameter of 30 mm and a height of 7.9 mm. However, unlike the Calibre ETA 7750 or SW 500, it contains 27 jewels and a power reserve of approximately 44 hours.