====== Lépine ======
Watches with [[small seconds]] typically place the [[subdial]] opposite the crown or 90º clockwise from it. Since the 19th century, these locations have been known as "Lépine" (opposite the crown) or [[Savonnette]] (90º). This reflects the heritage of movement design, though [[Lépine, Jean-Antoine|Jean-Antoine Lépine]]'s classic movement did not specifically place small seconds opposite the [[stem]].

===== Details =====
Lépine revolutionized watch design with his [[plate]] and [[bridge]] concept, and most movements developed in the 19th century used this approach. Because most pocket watches were hung from a chain, it was common to attach this to a bow on a stem attached at 12:00 on the dial. It was most harmonious on such a watch to locate the small seconds subdial at 6:00. Because these watches used Lépine's movement, this orientation (with the small seconds opposite the stem) became known by his name.

In contrast, a so-called [[savonnette]] watch was designed to be held in the hand with the stem against the thumb, so the movement was rotated 90º. Thus, the small seconds remained at 6:00 but the stem was now off-axis at 3:00. This design would later be called [[hunter]] as watches with a flip-up cover were typically also oriented in this way.

In modern wristwatches, Lépine placement of the small seconds subdial is rare, since it would fall at 9:00 on the dial if the crown is placed at 3:00. The savonnette or hunter arrangement places the small seconds subdial at 6:00 on a wristwatch, which is seen as a more harmonious design.

Today, it is mostly [[chronograph]] movements that place the small seconds subdial at 9:00. This includes the [[Breitling]] [[Breitling B01|B01 family]], [[ETA]] [[ETA 2094|2094]] and [[ETA 7750|7750 family]], [[Seiko]] [[Seiko 6S|6S family]], and exotic movements like the [[Audemars Piguet]] [[AP 2885|2885]] and [[AP 2889|2889]], [[Bulgari]] [[BVL 318|318/328/388]], and [[Parmigiani Fleurier]] [[PF335]]. Classic Lépine chronograph designs include [[Landeron]] ([[Landeron 39|39 family]], [[Landeron 48|48 family]], and [[Landeron 71|71 family]]), [[Martel]], [[Minerva]], [[Universal Genéve]] ([[Universal 281|281 family]]), [[Valjoux]] ([[Valjoux 7730|7730]] and [[Valjoux 7740|7740]], [[Valjoux 23|23/72 family]]), and [[Venus]] ([[Venus 150|150 family]], [[Venus 175|175 family]], [[Venus 188|188/210 family]]).

Some time-only movements also use a Lépine arrangement. Examples include the [[Zenith]] [[Zenith Elite|Elite 650/680]], the rare [[Seiko]] [[Seiko 8L34|8L34]] and [[Seiko 9S63|9S63]], and time-only movements based on the [[ETA 7750]] including [[Naoya Hida]]'s [[NH Type 1]].

===== See Also =====
  * [[Lépine, Jean-Antoine|Jean-Antoine Lépine]]
  * [[Savonnette]] or [[hunter]]

===== External Links =====
  * [[https://grail-watch.com/2022/05/03/what-is-a-lepine-watch-movement/|What is a Lépine Watch Movement?]]

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