ExecMagazine

Carl Elsener is the original person to start the Swiss Army Brand.  The first delivery of Swiss Army knives was in October of 1891.  Elsener enjoyed a monopoly for a number of years but there was a new company in the planning stages that would soon be a primary competitor.  By 1901 this company was named Wenger & Company S.A.

Swiss governement officials wanted to prevent regional favoritism and thought that competition would mean lower prices.  In 1908 the Swiss government split their contract with Wenger and Elseners company.

After the death of Elesners mother Victoria, he renamed the company Victorinox.  The first part of the name stood for his mother and the suffix “inox” stood for “stainless”.  Stainless was a new invention at the time.

As things are today, The Victorinox brand is known as the “Original Swiss Army Knife” while the Wenger brand is known as the “Genuine Swiss Army Knife”.

After long competing history, Victorinox purchased Wenger in 2005.  While both brands still exist, they have expanded into apparel, travel bags suitcases and watches, to name a few.  For a personal consultation of which  Victorinox and Wenger products might work best for you, go to www.KenReinstrom.com