Heritage
Victorinox, still in Ibach
The maker of the original Swiss Army Knife has stayed in the same valley, under the same family, for more than 140 years.
Karl Elsener opened a knife workshop in Ibach, in the canton of Schwyz, in 1884. In 1891 he co-founded an association of Swiss knife makers to supply the Swiss army, and in 1897 he patented the officer's and sports knife that the world now knows as the Swiss Army Knife.
In 1909, after his mother's death, Elsener named the brand Victoria in her honour. When the company adopted stainless steel, known in French as acier inoxydable, it combined the two words: since 1921 the name has been Victorinox. From 1908 Victorinox shared army deliveries with Wenger, its rival in the Jura, until it acquired Wenger in 2005.
Ownership is designed to keep the company independent. The Victorinox Foundation holds 90% of the shares and the Carl and Elise Elsener-Gut Foundation holds 10%, and the knives are still made in canton Schwyz.
Timeline
1884
Knife workshop opens in Ibach
1891
Association formed to supply the Swiss army
1897
The officer's and sports knife is patented
1909
The brand is named Victoria
1921
The name becomes Victorinox
2005
Victorinox acquires Wenger
2024
Sales of CHF 417 million
Victorinox is No. 65 in the Swiss Lions 100.