Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Zenith · Pilot
Zenith Pilot 41 mm Skeletonised Quartz
Reference 52035OR.72
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Zenith
- Collection
- Pilot
- Model
- Zenith Pilot 41 mm Skeletonised Quartz
- Reference number
- 52035OR.72
- Year / era
- 1991 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Skeletonised
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 100 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 88 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 41 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Skeletonised
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 100 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 38C — In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Number of jewels
- 40 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1991 – 1998
- Limited-edition quantity
- 88 pieces
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Zenith Pilot 41 mm Skeletonised Quartz sits within Zenith's Pilot line, introduced in 1991. It carries the house codes established since 1865 — quartz tpt case, skeletonised dial and in-house automatic, chronometer certified — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Zenith
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1865
- Founder
- Georges Favre-Jacot
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- El Primero, Chronomaster, Defy, Pilot, Elite
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · In-house hairspring production · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house manual-winding · In-house automatic chronograph
- Notable watches
- Zenith El Primero 42 mm Slate Platinum (1954) · Zenith El Primero 42 mm Mother-of-pearl Ceramic (1965) · Zenith El Primero 41 mm Skeletonised Sapphire (1975) · Zenith El Primero 40 mm Silvered 18k (1995)
Brand history
Zenith has spent more than 161 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's El Primero, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Georges Favre-Jacot established Zenith in 1865, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Zenith calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1865
Georges Favre-Jacot founds Zenith in Switzerland.
1899
Zenith earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Zenith to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Zenith enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Zenith continues to produce El Primero, Chronomaster, Defy and other icons in limited numbers.