We’ve frankly lost count of how many dead Swiss watch brands have been shocked back to life over the past few years. Universal Genève, Gallet, and the list keeps growing. But none of those revivals carries a backstory quite as strange as this one.
Sicura wasn’t just another Quartz Crisis casualty. It’s the brand that bought Breitling in 1979, only to eventually get swallowed whole by its own acquisition. Now, after a 47-year absence, the name returns with the new Sicura Hexa 400.
The Brand That Ate Itself
Under Ernest Schneider, a former army officer with a taste for oddball tool watches, Sicura spent the ’60s and ’70s cranking out compressor divers, jump-hour displays, and even a Victorinox knife watch under the slogan “The Specialist for Specialities.” When quartz gutted the Swiss industry, Schneider was the one writing checks, scooping up a struggling Breitling in 1979.
The acquisition worked a little too well. Breitling’s name carried far more weight, Sicura’s own watches got phased out, and by 1993 Montres Sicura AG had renamed itself Breitling AG. The kicker? Breitling has spent recent years resurrecting Universal Genève and Gallet, while Sicura’s revival comes courtesy of the Netherlands-based D Group instead.
Two Crowns, No Complications
Rather than reviving one of its LED-era oddities, Sicura reached for its strongest historical hit: the 1968 Diver 400 and its dual-crown, dual-bezel layout. The upper crown at 2 o’clock rotates an internal bi-color 12-hour ring, letting you track a second time zone without paying for a GMT movement. The lower crown handles time, date, and winding.
Pair that inner ring with the external 120-click ceramic bezel and its 60-minute lume scale, and you get elapsed time and dual time in one watch with zero added mechanical complexity. Both crowns screw down, which helps the the Hexa 400 hit an impressive 400m depth rating.
Hexagonal Heft
The 40mm hexagonal case is machined from 316L steel, measuring 14mm thick and 46mm lug-to-lug, with an integrated three-link bracelet tapering from 24mm to 20mm. In the metal, the whole package weighs a substantial 195 grams, so this is certainly a proper tool watch.
Sicura also went two-tone on the lume, applying green Super-LumiNova to the bezel and blue to the hands and applied markers so the two scales stay legible in the dark. Inside is a trusty Sellita SW200-1, and the clasp gets push-button release, a safety lock, and tool-free micro-adjustment. For a comeback watch at this price, that clasp alone puts a few bigger names on notice.
Spec Sheet
Model: Sicura Hexa 400
Case Size: 40mm
Lug-to-Lug: 46mm
Case Thickness: 14mm
Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Bezel: External 120-click ceramic + internal 12-hour dual-time ring
Water Resistance: 400m
Movement: Sellita SW200-1 automatic
Power Reserve: 38 hours
Bracelet: Three-link stainless steel with tool-free micro-adjustment
Weight: 195g
Dial Colors: Black, Blue, or Orange
Pricing & Availability
Available now in black, blue, and orange dial variants directly from Sicura, the Hexa 400 is priced at €1,450 (~$1,700). Head over to Sicura’s website to check it out for yourself.
Recap
Sicura Hexa 400
Back from a 47-year hiatus, Sicura relaunches with a 400m hexagonal dive watch pairing an external ceramic bezel with a crown-operated internal dual-time ring.
