Have you ever come across someone who carries his or her swiss knife with them all the time and wonder how this knife came about?
It is known to be one of the essentials for the soldiers & hikers. It comes in all sizes with a variety of tools and have different models suitable for all situations. It even comes in different colours & style to suit your personality.
Images from Victorinox.com
There are many versions & modifications to the very first legendary Original Swiss Army Knife that has been around since 1884. If you are wondering how the very first knife Victorinox produced looked like, here it is!
The legend lives on: The Original Replica of the first Swiss Army Knife of 1891
This is how a typical Swiss Army Knife looks like now!
Why is it call “Swiss Army Knife?’
It was American soldiers who coined the term "Swiss Army Knife" during World War Two. The American soldiers had trouble pronouncing the knife’s original Swiss name "Offiziersmesser."
How the first Swiss Army Knife Came About?
The legendary Swiss Army Knife has been around for more than a hundred years. It was first issued in 1897 in Ibach Schwyz, a community in the Swiss Alps near Lake Lucerne. The knife was designed by Karl Elsener, the great-grandfather of Carl Elsener, the current CEO of Victorinox AG.
In 1884, Karl Elsener owned a cutler’s workshop and they delivered soldier knifes to the Swiss army. He was looking for a compact and sturdy knife that led to his revolutionary idea to come up with a single tool with multiple functions. That’s when he invented the Original Swiss Army Knife.
The evolution of the Original Swiss Army Knife
The very first model of the knife contained a large and a small blade with a corkscrew. They were delivered to the Swiss army in 1891 & were essentials tools to help Swiss soldiers open canned food & used to strip their rifles.
However, they were thought to be bulky and heavy with wooden handles. The model of today is more eye catching & way lighter made from aluminum. They are used by soldiers and civilians around the world
The evolution of the Swiss Army Officer Knife
The first Swiss Army Officer Knife was legally registered in 12 June 1897. With the changing consumer needs & technology, lots of refinements and inventions have been added to the tool. The wood material was also replaced with the light weight red plastic handle.
However, one can still easily see the big similarity with the two product. The ingenious design back in 1897 did not change.
View the video to see the difference yourself! bit.ly/ZKJWCW
From humble tool to global icon:
Besides the 100 years of heritage that is worth mentioning, the Swiss Army Knife that has 314 blades got into The Guinness Book of World Records as having the most knife blades in one instruments.
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