The World of Victorinox: the meaning of Swissness and our Heritage in China

For most of our fans, the little red knife is more than just a multi-tool. The many stories we heard during our recent Swiss Army Knife collectors competition showed us as much. It’s a childhood rite of passage, a gift from a mother or a grandfather. It’s the desire to emulate a hero. It’s the powerful feeling of being prepared that makes these little knives so addictive. These are the stories we heard again and again.

Another theme which came up regularly was just how closely our knives are associated with Switzerland, their country of origin. For a Swiss expatriate living overseas, a Victorinox knife can serve as a reminder of home. For other collectors, the functionality, iconic design and high quality of our pocket knives embody the very essence of Switzerland itself.

One of the most inspiring collections we saw was from Haoran Yang in China, who has curated his own part of our heritage, an impressive collection of rare and vintage knives which has led to him becoming one of China’s most prolific collectors since starting to collect in 2013. For Haoran, the sense of history is part of what makes Victorinox so compelling. Find out more about his collection:

When I was a child, I found out about Swiss Army Knives by chance in a magazine, but you could not buy them in China at that time. Once they became available in China in the late 90s, I finally purchased my first model, a red Classic. The feeling of joy I got from owning this knife lasted for a long time, I kept taking it out of my pocket to look at it and to open the tools again and again.

In 2013, I came across the many forums and social networks dedicated to the Swiss Army Knife. I found that I really enjoyed looking at the pictures shared by the community and reading about all the various knives. It was like falling in love! Ever since, I have spent between four and six hours a day increasing my knowledge of Swiss Army Knives and I now own about 2,000 Swiss Army Knives, including rare and vintage models, as well as new styles.

Products which are refined, practical and design-oriented are highly sought after in China. I believe this is part of the reason why there are so many Swiss Army Knife collectors here. In a country where manufacturing is a large part of our economy, we also study the industries of countries such as Switzerland, Germany and Japan, as we appreciate the quality and sophistication of their products.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about Haoran’s knives. There will be more to come on this impressive collection, as well as from our other winning collectors over the coming months.