Wenger
Encyclopedia
Swiss Army knife
The Swiss Army knife is a brand of pocket knife or multi-tool manufactured by Victorinox AG and Wenger SA. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by US soldiers after World War II due to the difficulty they had in pronouncing the German name....
. Based in Delémont
Delémont
Delémont is the capital of the Swiss canton of Jura. The city has approximately 11,000 inhabitants as of 2007.-Geography:Delémont lies southwest of Basel, about halfway between Basel and Bienne...
, Wenger was acquired by rival Victorinox
Victorinox
Victorinox is a knife manufacturer based in the town of Ibach, in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. Since its acquisition of rival Wenger in 2005, it has, once more, become the sole supplier of multi-purpose knives to the Swiss army.-History:...
in 2005.
History
The history of Wenger S.A. is strongly linked to the history of the Swiss Army knifeSwiss Army knife
The Swiss Army knife is a brand of pocket knife or multi-tool manufactured by Victorinox AG and Wenger SA. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by US soldiers after World War II due to the difficulty they had in pronouncing the German name....
.
Company Origins
Founded 1893 at Courtetelle in the Delémont valleyin the Canton of JuraCanton of Jura
The Republic and Canton of the Jura , also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital is Delémont...
the industrial cutlery house of Paul Boechat & Cie (the future Wenger) received a contract from the Swiss Army to produce knives as the second industrial cutlery manufacturer of Switzerland.
In 1897 Theodore Wenger a minister who had served in the USA was returning home to Switzerland and was hired by the group of entrepreneurs that had bought the Boechat & Cie two years earlier, and later renamed the company Wenger et Cie..
One of Wenger's first acts was to acquire a manufacturer of spoon
Spoon
A spoon is a utensil consisting of a small shallow bowl, oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery , especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for serving. Spoons are also used in food preparation to measure, mix, stir and toss ingredients...
s and fork
Fork
As a piece of cutlery or kitchenware, a fork is a tool consisting of a handle with several narrow tines on one end. The fork, as an eating utensil, has been a feature primarily of the West, whereas in East Asia chopsticks have been more prevalent...
s which he moved to a rented factory in Delemont. In 1900 a new 18000 square feet (1,672.3 m²) facility was built. Both the utensil operations and the Courtetelle cutlery production were incorporated into the new plant now called Fabrique Suisse de Coutellerie et Services.
In 1908 the Swiss Army
Military of Switzerland
The Swiss Armed Forces perform the roles of Switzerland's militia and regular army. Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute about 5 percent of military personnel; the rest are male citizen conscripts 19 to 34 years old...
decided to split the contract, with half of the order going to Victorinox
Victorinox
Victorinox is a knife manufacturer based in the town of Ibach, in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. Since its acquisition of rival Wenger in 2005, it has, once more, become the sole supplier of multi-purpose knives to the Swiss army.-History:...
, in the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking canton of Schwyz
Canton of Schwyz
Schwyz is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne in the east and Lake Zurich in the north, centered around and named after the town of Schwyz....
, and the other half to Wenger in the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
-speaking part of the canton of Bern.
In 1929, after Theo Wenger's death, Kaspar Oertli gained majority share in the company.
In 1988, Wenger started producing watches.
Crisis and Restart
After the 9/11 attacks all air traveling and related industries were facing a severe crisis. This was also the case for the Swiss Army knifeSwiss Army knife
The Swiss Army knife is a brand of pocket knife or multi-tool manufactured by Victorinox AG and Wenger SA. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by US soldiers after World War II due to the difficulty they had in pronouncing the German name....
manufacturers especially Wenger S.A. Changing airport security regulations and the impossibility to carry pocket knives as carry on luggage diminished the sales of Swiss Army knives at duty free shops. The crisis lead to the acquisition of Wenger by it’s competitor Victorinox
Victorinox
Victorinox is a knife manufacturer based in the town of Ibach, in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. Since its acquisition of rival Wenger in 2005, it has, once more, become the sole supplier of multi-purpose knives to the Swiss army.-History:...
in 2005. With the backing of Victorinox, Wenger was able to maintain it’s own production and branding of swiss army knives and watches. Wenger knives are advertised as the "Genuine Swiss Army Knife" and Victorinox as the "Original Swiss Army Knife".
Recent Developments
After the change in 2005 Wenger S.A. started to develop new products to distinguish itself from the competitors. One major change was the introduction of the Evolution line changing the ergonomics of the knife for the first time in history.In the process of rebranding itself as a provider of multifunctional tools for outdoor adventures , Wenger started to cooperate with individuals like Ueli Steck
Ueli Steck
Ueli Steck is a Swiss climber. He is also a skilled carpenter and lives in Ringgenberg in Interlaken.- Career :...
or Mike Horn
Mike Horn
Mike Horn is a South-African born Swiss explorer and adventurer. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa he currently resides in Château d'Oex, Switzerland.Mike Horn became famous in 2000 after completing a solo journey around the equator without motor transport...
acting as their brand ambassadors providing each of them with a suited multi-functional tool adapted to their specific challenges. Additionally Wenger cooperated with Alinghi
Alinghi
Alinghi is the syndicate set up by Ernesto Bertarelli, racing under the colors of the Société Nautique de Genève, to challenge for the America's Cup. Bertarelli had raced several smaller yachts named Alinghi previously, but 2003 was his first attempt at the America's Cup...
providing the sailors with a suited multifunctional tool. Most recently Wenger supports the Patagonia Expedition Race
Patagonia Expedition Race
The Patagonian Expedition Race is an annual endurance adventure race that takes place in the remote wilderness of Chilean Patagonia, run to help protect and raise awareness about the fragile environment in this region...
.
Products
The two main product lines of Wenger S.A. are the Genuine Swiss Army Knife and Wenger Watch.Additionally Wenger S.A. uses the know how of knife manufacturing to craft kitchen cutlery available under the brand names of Swibo, Grand Maitre.
Genuine Swiss Army Knife
Most of the traditional products produced by Wenger are Pocket Knifes with a body size of about 3’ to 5 ‘ and blades of about 2’ to 4’ accompanied with a varying set of additional functional features like can openers etc. in a red or black colored case.Special Editions
The GiantThe Swiss Army knife is famous for integrating different tools into one knife. Wenger integrated all of these 87 tools performing 120 functions into one knife and called it The Giant. Integrating 87 functions the giant made it into the book: Guinness World Records.
Heritage
Based on the original plans of the Swiss Army knife of 1908 Wenger introduced the limited edition line called Heritage.
TitaniumLine, Alinghi Sui 1, Mike Horn Knife & Patagonia Expedition Race
All three are multifunctional knives developed in cooperation with the individuals and organizations involved suited to their specific challenges. The Titanium Line is a product suited to the challenges a speed climber like Ueli Steck
Ueli Steck
Ueli Steck is a Swiss climber. He is also a skilled carpenter and lives in Ringgenberg in Interlaken.- Career :...
faces. For the Swiss Americas Cup participant Alinghi
Alinghi
Alinghi is the syndicate set up by Ernesto Bertarelli, racing under the colors of the Société Nautique de Genève, to challenge for the America's Cup. Bertarelli had raced several smaller yachts named Alinghi previously, but 2003 was his first attempt at the America's Cup...
Wenger developed an easy to use knife for sailors. As the main sponsor of the Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race
Patagonia Expedition Race
The Patagonian Expedition Race is an annual endurance adventure race that takes place in the remote wilderness of Chilean Patagonia, run to help protect and raise awareness about the fragile environment in this region...
, Wenger created a knife suited to the challenges the participants of the race have to face. For the adventurer Mike Horn
Mike Horn
Mike Horn is a South-African born Swiss explorer and adventurer. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa he currently resides in Château d'Oex, Switzerland.Mike Horn became famous in 2000 after completing a solo journey around the equator without motor transport...
Wenger released a knife in 2009.
Wenger Watch
Wenger Watches are made in Switzerland. The company's subdivision's head office is located in <Other products
Furthermore, Wenger also creates wallet type notepads. These are in the shape of a wallet and can function as a wallet, but may most appropriately be used as a miniature notepad because it as a small writing pad on the inside of the wallet (which is a twofold).Wenger produced bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
s for the Swiss Stgw 90
SIG SG 550
The SG 550 is an assault rifle manufactured by Swiss Arms AG of Neuhausen, Switzerland...
assault rifle. The bayonet has an overall length of 310 mm and a muzzle ring diameter of 22 mm. The 177 mm long blade is single-edged and it has no fuller
Fuller (weapon)
A fuller is a rounded or beveled groove or slot in the flat side of a blade . A fuller is often used to lighten the blade, much in the way that an I-beam shape allows a given amount of strength to be achieved with less material...
. The bayonets were manufactured exclusively for the Swiss Army by Wenger and Victorinox
Victorinox
Victorinox is a knife manufacturer based in the town of Ibach, in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. Since its acquisition of rival Wenger in 2005, it has, once more, become the sole supplier of multi-purpose knives to the Swiss army.-History:...
(before the two companies merged).
In North America, licensed products using the Wenger and SwissGear trademarks are owned independently from Victorinox SA, and are used to market camping equipment (particularly tents, backpacks and sleeping bags), luggage, backpacks and office/business needs.