Swiss Army knife
Swiss army knife , and Swiss Army knife , Swiss Army knife , in the Switzerland army knife called (of "his pocket," the Swiss name for your pocket), the best known and most widely sold are pocket knife .
features
A feature of the Swiss Army Knife is that in addition to a blade , other tools are integrated into the knife. The knives available in civil trade usually have red plastic handles ( Cellidor ) and bear the Swiss cross as a distinguishing mark. The original knife was developed at the end of the 19th century for soldiers in the Swiss Army in order to combine different tasks in the field in a single compact and lightweight tool. Because of this property, Swiss Army Knives are still popular today with people who practice outdoor activities such as hiking , camping or the art of survival .
The two manufacturers of the original knife are the Victorinox company from the German-speaking canton of Schwyz and, until 2005, the Wenger company from the French-speaking canton of Jura . In 2005 Wenger was bought by competitor Victorinox because it had run into economic difficulties since 2001, but it was continued as a separate brand until 2013. According to Victorinox, the main aim of this takeover was to prevent Wenger from being bought up by foreign investors, which would damage the reputation of the Swiss Army Knives.
The end of 2015 took the watchmaker Swiza from Delémont , after the acquisition by a former manager Wenger, a Swiss Army knife new to the range at which the 2016 Red Dot Design Award was awarded.
history
Victorinox logo
Wenger logo
At the end of the 1880s, the Swiss Army decided to procure a new, foldable soldier's knife, which was supposed to help with eating and dismantling the standard rifle of the time, the Schmidt-Rubin - Infantry Rifle Model 1889 . The tools included were therefore a blade, can opener , slotted screwdriver and awl .
In January 1891, the Swiss Army issued a declaration of orderly for the 1890 model with handles made of blackened oak (some ebony was later used).
Since no Swiss company had the necessary production capacities at the time, the first 15,000 knives were delivered in October 1891 by the German knife manufacturer Wester & Co. from Solingen . At the end of 1891, Karl Elsener from Ibach , later called Victorinox, took over the production. Numerous other knife manufacturers from Germany and Switzerland also made these knives and its successor models , including the one in 1893 under the name Paul Boéchat & Cie. founded company Wenger.
On June 12, 1897, the term "Swiss Officer's and Sports Knife" was protected as a trademark.
Since it was first introduced in 1891, the knife issued by the Swiss Army has been adapted several times. There are a total of five different models, the model number of which reflects the year of introduction, namely the models 1890, 1908, 1951, 1961 and the soldier's knife 08. Some of the individual models have also been revised and therefore exist in different versions. While older models were manufactured by various companies in Germany and Switzerland, the 1961 model was exclusively produced by Victorinox and Wenger. Its current status as an original manufacturer is derived from this almost fifty-year unique position. The current soldier's knife 08 is only manufactured by Victorinox.
Since the 1961 model, the soldier's knives had grips made of corrugated aluminum instead of the red plastic grips of civilian models. Even the equipment with a blade, awl, can opener and bottle opener (the last two with an integrated slotted screwdriver) was relatively clear until recently compared to the extensive equipment of some civilian models. The soldier's knife 08 has an extended range of functions with a wood saw and a Phillips screwdriver.
Model 1890 , the first Swiss soldier's knife
Model 1951 , sold from 1951 to 1961
Model 1961 (red), sold from 1961 to 1965
Model 1961, version 1994 (without hollow rivets), released from 1994 to 2008
Soldier's knife 08 , sold since 2008
In addition to the Swiss Army, the armed forces of over 20 other countries have introduced the Swiss Army Knife as an official piece of equipment, including Germany, France, the Netherlands and Malaysia.
Army knife (introduced in 1976)
One-hand knife of the Bundeswehr (introduced in 2008)
Malaysian Armed Forces pocket knife (introduced in 2008)
Functions
The original equipment with a blade, can opener, slotted screwdriver and awl has since been expanded to include a number of tools in civilian models, depending on the version, for example there are versions with a wood saw, scissors , metal file or corkscrew . Civilian models usually also have a toothpick / fingernail cleaner and tweezers , which are located in separate slots in the handle shells.
Some versions are geared towards special target groups, for example there are Swiss Army Knives with a fish scaler for anglers or with a lawn lifter for golfers.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the most extensive Swiss Army Knife is the Wenger Giant Knife 2007 . It has 81 individual tools for 141 different functions, but with its width of 24 centimeters and weight of 1.3 kilograms it is not suitable for actual use, but is intended as a collector's item.
The most extensive models still intended for actual use are the Victorinox SwissChamp and the Wenger EvoGrip S54 . In addition, there are also knives with a minimized size, such as only one blade and a bottle opener. Wenger and Victorinox knives generally offer the same capabilities, although the shape and functionality of the individual tools often differ in detail. For example, while the can opener of Victorinox knives is pushed through the can lid, Wenger knives use a pulling movement.
For a number of years there have also been variants that are equipped with additional electronic elements such as light emitting diodes , laser pointers , clocks or USB sticks. These are intended for everyday urban life rather than for outdoor use.
Intellectual Property
The word image Swiss Army Knife is protected and may only be used by Victorinox and Wenger. The two variants of the Swiss cross on the knives are also protected. Victorinox markets its knives as “Original Swiss Officer's Knives”, while Wenger used the term “Genuine Swiss Officer's Knife”.
In the early 1990s, Victorinox sued the Arrow Trading Company , which sold Chinese pocket knives, in the United States . On the one hand, these copied the basic concept of the Swiss knife, which cannot be protected by copyright, and also bore the Swiss cross and the words "Swiss Army", which in Victorinox's eyes gave the impression that the Chinese knives came from Switzerland. In the first instance, a federal district court ruled Victorinox in 1993 and found the importer of the Chinese plagiarism guilty of deception and prohibited further distribution of the plagiarism. A court of appeals reversed this judgment a year later, because the mere mention of a country on a product is not a clear indication that the product was actually manufactured there.
Trivia
- The standard equipment of every NASA astronaut includes a Victorinox Master Craftsman knife .
- All members of the Swiss Army have always received the same knife, there is no special officer's knife.
- For collectors there was an exclusive version with diamonds that were set in gold or platinum to form the bowls.
- In the American television series MacGyver , pocket knives by Victorinox and Wenger were a frequently used tool of the eponymous main character.
literature
- Swiss National Museum (ed.): The pocket knife. A tool becomes a cult . Brochure accompanying the 2010 exhibition, ISBN 978-3-908025-77-1 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.20min.ch/finance/news/story/Ein-Neuer-mischt-mit-im-Sackmesser-Markt-22014054
- ↑ Switzerland has a new knife! ( Memento from December 1, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) from swiza.com
- ↑ Recognition in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2016! ( Memento of July 12, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) from swiza.com
- ↑ Information sheets Timeline of the history of soldiers 'knives , the history of the Victorinox company and manufacturer of soldiers ' knives at the special exhibition “Swiss Soldiers Knives 1890–2007” in Thun Castle , available on messerforum.net .
- ^ The Swiss Army Knife returns to the battlefield
- ↑ Wenger's press release ( Memento from May 29, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ John Tagliabue: Swiss Army Knife vs. Chinese clone. In: The New York Times . September 3, 1994, accessed June 23, 2009.
- ^ Information on the website of the manufacturer Victorinox (accessed on January 28, 2012).
