Description
Few names carry a stranger backstory into 2026 than Sicura. Founded in Grenchen in 1939, the brand thrived through the 1960s and 70s under Ernest Schneider with affordable, unconventional tool watches — compressor divers, jump-hours, LED and solar experiments — under the slogan "The Specialist for Specialities". In 1979 Schneider bought Breitling, folded production into Sicura's facilities, and by 1993 Montres Sicura AG had literally renamed itself Breitling AG. The brand vanished for 47 years.
Now revived under the Netherlands-based D Group (owners of Blanchet and Stewart Dowson, with close ties to Squale), Sicura returns not with a gimmick but with its strongest historical design: the 1968 Diver 400, reborn as the Hexa 400 — a 40mm hexagonal, dual-crown, 400m professional diver at EUR 1,450.
Design
The angular hexagonal case that defined the original is retained but executed far more sharply: 316L steel, brushed with polished chamfers, 40mm across, 14mm thick and 46mm lug-to-lug, with genuine tool-watch heft on its integrated-style three-link bracelet. The vintage bidirectional metal bezel gives way to a modern 120-click unidirectional design with a black ceramic insert and a 60-minute Super-LumiNova scale. The dual-crown layout carries over — upper crown driving a bi-colour internal rotating ring for a second time zone, lower crown for time and date — though the functions are reversed versus the 1968 original. Dials come in matte black, blue or orange, cleaned of period text, with applied lume-filled indices, an oversized 12, and broad faceted hands. The deployant clasp adds a safety lock and tool-free micro-adjustment.
Specifications
- References: H400.SS.A.40ATM.01.SS (black) / H400.SS.A.40ATM.02.SS (blue) / H400.SS.A.40ATM.03.SS (orange)
- Case diameter: 40mm; thickness: 14mm; lug-to-lug: 46mm
- Case material: 316L stainless steel, brushed with polished chamfers, hexagonal construction
- Bezel: external 120-click unidirectional, black ceramic insert with Super-LumiNova 60-minute scale
- Internal ring: bi-colour rotating dual-time ring, operated by upper screw-down crown
- Crystal: sapphire with anti-reflective and anti-fingerprint coatings
- Caseback: screw-down
- Water resistance: 400m
- Movement: Sellita SW200, automatic, 26 jewels, hacking seconds
- Frequency: 28,800vph (4Hz)
- Power reserve: 38 hours
- Functions: hours, minutes, central seconds, date, dual-time via internal ring
- Bracelet: three-link steel, deployant clasp with safety lock and tool-free micro-adjustment
- Price: EUR 1,450 (incl. VAT) / USD 1,380 (excl. tax)
What's Exciting
The dual-crown compressor formula is having a moment, but the Hexa 400 stands out for doing it with real spec discipline at the price: 400m of water resistance, a ceramic 120-click bezel, an anti-fingerprint-coated sapphire and on-the-fly micro-adjustment are features that routinely cost double. The internal dual-time ring is the clever bit — elapsed time on the outside, a second time zone on the inside, with zero movement complexity added to the proven SW200. And the story is irresistible: this is the brand whose factory literally became Breitling, choosing its most credible vintage design rather than nostalgia-bait. As comebacks go, it starts on a convincing, honestly priced note.
History
Sicura was founded in Grenchen in 1939 and became one of the great volume tool-watch names of the 1960s–70s under Ernest Schneider, selling millions of affordable specialist watches. The original Diver 400 of 1968 — hexagonal case, dual crowns, 400m rating — was its flagship professional diver. After Schneider acquired Breitling's name and rights in 1979, Sicura's Grenchen facilities produced the relaunched Breitling line, and in 1993 the company formally became Breitling AG, ending Sicura's run. The 2026 revival under D Group makes the Hexa 400 the first new Sicura in nearly half a century.
