In celebration of America’s 250th year of independence, Zenith salutes both the Stars and Stripes and the game-changing El Primero movement with the unveiling of the Chronomaster Revival Liberty II.
Stars, stripes, and high frequency: Draped in the colors of the flag, this 37mm novelty salutes 250 Years of American independence and the historic Zenith A384.
A forged carbon edition, limited to just 25 pieces, comes paired with a blue Cordura-effect rubber strap and is priced at US$13,400. A steel variant limited to 250 pieces is also available, priced at US$10,600 and offered on either the classic “Gay Frères” steel ladder bracelet or a blue Cordura-effect rubber strap. Both novelties are exclusive to the United States.
Each model sports the classic 37mm case inspired by the A384 of 1969, complemented by a white lacquered dial with blue counters. The “250” and “4” on the date disc are rendered in bright red, while the chronograph seconds hand bears 13 stripes representing America’s original colonies.
Both the Liberty I (released in October 2020) and Liberty II pay tribute to a shared history: Zenith’s founder Georges Favre-Jacot was inspired by America’s advanced and efficient industralism, to develop Zenith into the first fully integrated Swiss watch manufacture.
A Brief History of the El Primero
Driven by an oscillating weight decorated with Côtes de Genève finishing, the Chronomaster Revival Liberty II’s El Primero 400 is celebrated above all as the modern evolution of the legendary El Primero caliber.
Introduced in 1969, the original El Primero—Spanish for “The First”—was the world’s first integrated automatic chronograph movement. Rather than relying on a chronograph module mounted onto a base caliber, it was engineered from the ground up as a single, cohesive movement. This integrated architecture allowed it to remain remarkably slim at just 6.5mm thick.
Its high-beat frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour (5Hz) is significantly faster than the more conventional 28,800 vph cadence. This enables the El Primero to measure elapsed time to 1/10th of a second, while also producing the buttery-smooth sweep of the chronograph seconds hand so beloved by Zenith enthusiasts.
Many collectors will know that Rolex once turned to the El Primero to power its Daytona models during a trying era for mechanical watchmaking. More importantly, however, the El Primero remains a triumphant symbol of Zenith’s victory in the fiercely contested race to create the world’s first automatic chronograph movement.
