About

New Balance 997

Under this number are two shoes that barely recognize each other from a meter away, and the name reveals the difference in one letter. The M997 is the original from 1990, built in the brand’s American factories. The 997H is the more affordable reworking from thirty years later, on a different sole and a different last. Anyone comparing them should first know which of the two they’re looking at.

Read the code, not the photo

Recognition is in the style code. If it starts with M997 followed by letters, it’s the American version: low, elongated, with a two-piece molded sole and typically suede in thick, soft quality. If it starts with CM997H, then it’s the H: higher on the sole, more simply constructed, with the brand name pressed into the side of the sole and a leather tab on the tongue that reads 997H. The H is not an inferior 997 — it’s a different product with the same lineage.

What makes the original special

The M997 arrived in 1990 as the brand’s most expensive runner to date, one step above the 990 line. The silhouette is lower and more pointed than its siblings, the heel bears the familiar script with speed lines, and the toe has rows of fine perforations in the suede. The American construction is noticeable in the weight and visible in the stitching; it’s the reason these versions are rarer and pricier.

What the H does well

The 997H took the silhouette in 2019 and democratized it: same side lines, a modern lightweight sole underneath, wider availability. For those after the look and not the collectible, that’s a fair trade. The large N on the side is usually in smooth leather with an outline, and the collar is more softly padded than on the original.

The place in the family

The 997 belongs to the American top range alongside the 990 and the 991; the 574 is the people’s brother with simpler construction. Within that field the 997 is the more pointed and the lowest, and with the H split it’s also the model where reading the code pays off most.

On this page you see which versions of the New Balance 997 are currently hottest according to the Hypescore, from what price they’re available and in how many shops they are in stock.