Victorinox celebrates a very special anniversary

2022 marks a historic milestone for Victorinox, as its popular Swiss Army Knife celebrates its remarkable 125 years anniversary. To revel this occasion, Victorinox has planned some special activities such as the launch of a limited edition replica knife based on the first original Officer’s and Sports Knife. But that’s definitely not all. Set the countdown and get ready for a Victorinox year full of special surprises.

It all began in 1897 when Karl Elsener patented the original Officer’s and Sports Knife, also known world-wide as the Swiss Army Knife. In 2022 Victorinox celebrates the 125th anniversary of this Swiss icon which stands for quality, functionality, innovation and iconic design and is the cornerstone in the brand’s history. Inspired by this role model from 1897, Victorinox has since developed many innovative and awarded products in the categories Swiss Army Knives, Household- and Professional Knives, Watches, Travel Gear and Fragrances.

To honor its heritage and continue the adventure beyond this historical moment, Victorinox launches a limited replica of the original Officer’s and Sports Knife. The Replica 1897 looks exactly like the original on the outside, but, on the inside, it represents the latest in technology. “When my great grandfather patented the original Officer’s and Sports Knife in 1897, he had no idea that this was the launch of a truly Swiss icon and the basis for the success story of the company. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all our employees, customers, collectors and fans of the brand worldwide”, Carl Elsener, CEO at Victorinox says.

Even though the Swiss Army Knife is the heart of the brand, it was a challenging process to find out all the historic details of the very first original Officer’s and Sports Knife to finally create a worthy replica knife. With eager and interest employees at Victorinox studied books and other documents, discovered old tem-plates and sketches and finally recreated with pride and emotions the Replica 1897 out of 18 separate pieces.

GET READY TO JOIN THE FESTIVITIES
The year celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Swiss Army Knife will be accompanied by a special glob-al marketing campaign consisting of a dedicated logo as well as imagery and videos. The campaign focuses on the mindset and the attitude associated with the Swiss Army Knife, which has been shared and lived by consumers and employees over the years. It is the desire to discover the unknown, the thirst for action and the enthusiasm for small and bigger adventures. “125 years ago, my great grandfather Karl Elsener invented this little red knife. This multi-talent is omnipresent, it is even used in space as an official equipment of all astronauts of the Space Shuttle missions.” Carl Elsener explains. During the anniversary year, fans and collectors of the Swiss Army Knife will be given a voice in the form of various fan stories and publications and Victorinox presence on Social Media will be thrilling and engag-ing. Stay tuned for several surprises happening during the coming months and be part of the celebration.

FUN FACTS AND FIGRUES
Another jubilee was already celebrated in 2017, when Victorinox produced its 500-millionth «Original Swiss Army Knife» and launched a special edition for employees only. In this regard it is impressive to know that nowadays Victorinox produces around 10 million Swiss Army Knives per year and sells more than 400 dif-ferent models of the Swiss Army Knife and other tools. The regularly sold models offer from one function (Swiss Army 1) up to 73 functions (Swiss Champ XXL). The lightest Swiss Army Knife weights 17g (Escort), the heaviest weights 353g (Swiss Champ XXL) and last but not least, the Victorinox Classic pocket knife is by far the most sold model in the history of Victorinox.


​​​​​​​To dive into the world of the very beginnings of the Original Swiss Army Knife please find a selection of videos also directly included in the link below (available from May 1st):

• "THE MAKING OF" – an emotional look at the anniversary of the first ever Officer’s Knife and the creation of Replica that honors it.
• "THE COMPARISON" – an in-depth look at the differences between the Replica and the original 1897 Officers Knife, as well as the differences between the Replica and a Spartan from our current product range.
• "THE PRODUCTION" – a more detailed look at the steps that go into each stage of the production of the Replica 1897.
• "THE UNBOXING" – the influencer (and design and packaging expert) @Mat_Buckets unwraps the Replica 1897 and gives his qualified feedback on his findings.