The Swiss army pocket knife is a little red and silver knife, beautifully designed, with knives, scissors, corkscrews, screwdrivers, can-openers and many more surprises slotted into its sleek chassis. It's a brainchild of Swiss cutler Karl Elsener who was financially ruined before becoming one of the world's icons.
It was 1884. After completing an apprenticeship as a cutler in Tuttlingen, Germany, Karl Elsener returns home to Ibach, in Switzerland. The 24 year old son of a milliner had his big idea. The Swiss army was being supplied with knives from the German town of Solingen. At the time, the Swiss economy was extremely unhealthy, and local lads regularly left their but mountainous nation to find jobs elsewhere. Elsener hoped to supply the army with locally-made knives and to create new jobs in the process.
Preferring not to build a factory, the enterprising Elsener formed the Swiss Cutlers' Association, gathering twenty-five other cutlers to produce knives for the army. These knives contained a blade, punch, can-opener and screwdriver.
Their first order was fulfilled in 1891, but on the realization that German companies could provide knives far more cheaply, Elsener's Swiss Cutlers' Association fell to pieces when the other cutlers resigned after just 12 months.
Despite everything, Elsener continued the business, but the operational costs, including employees and materials were draining him and he soon ran out of cash. The help of generous relatives pulled him through, enough to develop an improved knife, lighter and more elegant with a smaller blade and corkscrew. It was this same officer's knife that is known and famous today... a little red and silver knife, beautifully designed, with knives, scissors, corkscrews, screwdrivers, can-openers and many more surprises slotted into its sleek chassis.
This brainchild of Karl Elsener, the Swiss army pocketknife has become a world's icon. It was registered in 1897, June 12. In 1921 Elsener changed the company name to Victorinox. Inox is the international designation for stainless steel.
Note: This piece was originally published at my former blog InventionsDiscoveries.com, April 2013.
(c) 2016 Tel Asiado, written for InspiredPenWeb.com. All Rights Reserved.
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