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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Glossary · Case & Dial

Savonnette

A hunter-case layout with the winding crown at three relative to the dial.

Explanation

A savonnette is a hunter-cased watch whose hinged front cover protects the crystal — named after the round soap boxes it resembles. In a true hunter the winding crown sits at 3 o'clock with the seconds at 6, so the dial reads correctly with the cover opened toward the user. The opposite layout, crown at 12, is the open-face or Lépine arrangement.

In the object catalogue

Catalogued objects whose own source record mentions “Savonnette”. The quoted line shows where; it is the seller’s or museum’s wording, not independent verification.