Wenger

Swiss Army knife manufacturer

This article is about the Swiss Army knife manufacturer. For the former Arsenal F.C. manager, see Arsène Wenger. For other uses, see Wenger (disambiguation).

Wenger SA

Company type| Société anonyme
Predecessor| Paul Boéchat & Cie
Wenger & Co. S.A.
Founded| 1893; 132 years ago (1893)
Founder| Paul Boéchat
Defunct| 2005 (2005)
Fate| Merged with Victorinox
Headquarters|

Delémont, Canton of Jura

Switzerland

Products| Swiss Army knives, cutlery, watches, travel gear

Number of employees

| 150
Parent| Victorinox AG
Subsidiaries| SwissGear
Website| www.wenger.ch
A Wenger Swiss Army knife

Wenger was a Swiss cutlery manufacturer that exists today as a brand of once-rival Victorinox, used for knives, watches and licensed products.[1] Founded in 1893, it was best known as one of two companies to manufacture Swiss Army knives. Based in Delémont, Wenger was acquired in 2005 by Victorinox and partially absorbed.[2] Since 2013 Wenger Swiss Army knives have been integrated in the Victorinox collection as the "Delémont collection".

## History

[edit]

The history of Wenger S.A. is strongly linked to the history of the Swiss Army knife.[3]

### Company origins

[edit]

The industrial cutlery house of Paul Boechat & Cie (the future Wenger) was founded 1893 at Courtételle in the Delémont valley in the Canton of Jura. It received a contract from the Swiss Army to produce knives as the second industrial cutlery manufacturer of Switzerland.[4] In 1897 Theodore Wenger, a minister who had served in the US, was returning home to Switzerland and was hired by the group of entrepreneurs that had bought Boechat & Cie two years earlier[4] (later renaming the company Wenger et Cie.).[5] One of Wenger's first acts was to acquire a manufacturer of spoons and forks which he moved to a rented factory in Delémont.

In 1900, a new 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) facility was built. Both the utensil operations and the Courtételle cutlery production were incorporated into the new plant now called Fabrique Suisse de Coutellerie et Services.[4] In 1908 the Swiss Army decided to split the contract, with half of the order going to Victorinox, in the German-speaking canton of Schwyz, and the other half to Wenger in the French-speaking part of the canton of Bern.[6] In 1929, after Theo Wenger's death, Kaspar Oertli gained majority share in the company.

### Between 1929 and 2005

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2022)

|

In 1988, Wenger started producing watches, one year before Victorinox.[7]

### Crisis and restart

[edit]

After the September 11 attacks all air traveling and related industries were facing a severe crisis. This was also the case for the Swiss Army knife manufacturers especially Wenger S.A. Changing airport security regulations which precluded the carrying of pocket knives diminished the sales of Swiss Army knives at duty-free shops. The crisis led to the acquisition of Wenger by its competitor Victorinox in 2005.[8] With the backing of Victorinox, Wenger was able for a time to maintain its own production and branding of Swiss army knives and watches. Wenger knives had been advertised as the "Genuine Swiss Army Knife" and Victorinox as the "Original Swiss Army Knife".

### Rebranding after acquisition

[edit]

After being acquired by Victorinox, in 2005 Wenger S.A. started to develop new products. In the process of rebranding itself as a provider of multifunctional tools for outdoor adventures,[9] Wenger started to cooperate with individuals such as Ueli Steck and Mike Horn acting as their brand ambassadors providing each of them with a suited multi-functional tool adapted to their specific challenges.[10] Additionally Wenger cooperated with Alinghi providing the sailors with a suited multifunctional tool.[11] Most recently Wenger supports the Patagonia Expedition Race.[12]

### Product lines merging

[edit]

On January 30, 2013, Wenger and Victorinox announced that the separate knife brands were going to be merged into one brand: Victorinox. The press release stated that Wenger's factory in Delémont would continue to produce knives and all employees at this site will retain their jobs. They further elaborated that an assortment of items from the Wenger line-up will remain in production under the Victorinox brand name. Wenger's U.S. headquarters will be merged with Victorinox's location in Monroe, Connecticut. Wenger's watch and licensing business will continue as a separate brand.[13]

### Recent developments

[edit]

In March 2016, during the Baselworld 2016 expo, Victorinox relaunched the Wenger brand with marketing emphasising Swiss values at a reasonable price. Wenger changed its slogan to "A Swiss Company Since 1893" from "Maker of the genuine Swiss Army Knife", which was used for decades.[14]

In 2017, Victorinox released a Swiss Army Knife model named “Wenger Red”. This knife has the Wenger logo and the Wenger brand name in the scale of the knife. This knife is delivered in a box with the Victorinox logo and brand name. This part number is produced in Delémont, Switzerland. This is the only Swiss Army Knife with the Wenger logo and brand name that is being produced and sold as today.

## Products

[edit]

The two main product lines of Wenger S.A. are the "Genuine Swiss Army Knife" and Wenger Watch. Additionally Wenger S.A. makes kitchen cutlery under the brand names of Swibo, Grand Maitre.[15]

Genuine Swiss Army Knife

Wenger produced pocket knives with body sizes ranging from about 65 mm to 130 mm (2.5" to 5") and blades of about 50 mm to 100 mm (2" to 4") in a red- or black-coloured case. These knives often featured tools such as can openers and screwdrivers. Since 2004, Wenger's "Evolution" series introduced ergonomic handles designed by Swiss designers Patrick Eppenberger and Paolo Fancelli, although the classic flat handles remained available. Additionally, Wenger offered handles in various colors and materials, distinguishing itself from Victorinox by using a rectangular frame around the Swiss cross emblem (Victorinox uses a shield-shaped frame). On Wenger knife blades, the brand name was accompanied by an embossed armbrust (crossbow), referencing Swiss national hero Wilhelm Tell.

Wenger produced numerous variants of Swiss Army knives, catering to diverse needs:

Basic Models: These included only a blade and a multifunction tool that acted as a bottle opener, can opener, and screwdriver.

Specialized Models: For specific groups like cyclists, golfers, or anglers, Wenger offered tailored knife designs.

Larger Models: The Ranger, NewRanger, and RangerGrip lines, measuring 127 mm when closed, featured locking blades with a liner-lock system. Certain models were designed for one-handed opening, which restricted their carry in Germany under § 42a of the German Weapons Act.

The Giant: The Swiss Army knife is famous for integrating different tools into one knife. Wenger created "The Giant," a knife featuring 87 tools and 141 functions, securing a Guinness World Record for the largest Swiss Army knife. It measured 24 cm in width, weighed 1345 g, and was first introduced in 2007.

Heritage: Based on the original 1908 Swiss Army knife, Wenger introduced the limited-edition Heritage line.

Wenger collaborated with individuals and organizations to create specialized knives:

Titanium Line: Designed for speed climber Ueli Steck, these knives met the demands of extreme mountaineering challenges.

Alinghi SUI 1: Developed for the Swiss America’s Cup sailing team Alinghi, these knives were tailored for sailors and used during the 32nd America’s Cup in 2007.

Mike Horn Knife: Released in 2009, this knife supported adventurer and environmentalist Mike Horn's expeditions.

Patagonia Expedition Race Knife: Created for participants of the Wenger-sponsored Patagonia Expedition Race.

Other Wenger Cutlery Products

Kitchen Knives: Wenger marketed kitchen knives under the "Grand Maître" brand ("Great Master") for private use and "SWIBO" for professional use, including butcher’s knives with signature bright yellow handles. Later, other handle colors were introduced.

By maintaining a blend of innovation and tradition, Wenger solidified its place in the history of Swiss Army knives, offering both practical tools and collectible items.

### Wenger Watches

[edit]

Wenger Watches are made in Switzerland. The company's head office is located in Delémont Switzerland. Wenger watches are supposedly related to the basic ideas and concept of the Swiss Army Knife, having a multifunctional outdoor focus. Additionally Wenger produces several watches focusing only on elegance.[16]

## Other products

[edit]

Wenger also makes notepads that can function as a twofold wallet.

Wenger produced bayonets for the Swiss Stgw 90 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. The bayonets were manufactured exclusively for the Swiss Army by Wenger and Victorinox (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.

## Gallery

[edit]

* Ranger 73

* RangerGrip 75

* Stgw 90 bayonet

* Wenger Highlander

* Wenger Evogrip 16

* Wenger Pocketgrip

## See also

[edit]

* Leatherman
* Gerber multitool
* Multi-tool

## References

[edit]

1. ^ (in French) "Victorinox absorbe les activités de coutellerie de Wenger", Le Temps, mercredi 30 janvier 2013.
2. ^ "LUXURY WATCHES NEWS : Victorinox acquires rival Wenger", Europa Star WorldWatchWeb, 4 May 2005.
3. ^ "The Rise and Fall of Wenger Swiss Army Knives". Gearpersonal. 14 December 2022.
4. ^ a b c "Company history".
5. ^ "Company history".
6. ^ Company history, Wenger
7. ^ Company history extended, Wenger
8. ^ Victorinox takes over Wenger, Wenger
9. ^ "Re-branding press release" (PDF).
10. ^ "Brand ambassadors".
11. ^ "Cooperation with Alinghi".
12. ^ "Cooperation with Patagonia Expedition Race".
13. ^ "Victorinox joins forces and integrates Wenger knife business" (PDF).
14. ^ "Victorinox relaunches the Wenger brand - Press release". Archived from the original on 28 January 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
15. ^ "Wenger cutlery".
16. ^ "Wenger International - Wenger Homepage". Wenger.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wenger.

* Official global company website
* Official US company website
* Dedicated UK fan website
* Wenger Backpacks

* v
* t
* e

Knives and daggers

* List of daggers
* List of blade materials

Kitchen and
table knives|

* Boning
* Boti
* Bread knife
* Butcher knife
* Butter knife
* Caidao
* Cheese knife
* Chef's knife
* Cleaver
* Electric knife
* Fillet knife
* Grapefruit knife
* Lame
* Mezzaluna
* Parmesan knife
* Pizza cutter
* Splayd
* Steak knife
* Tomato knife
* Japanese kitchen knives
* Deba bōchō
* Maguro bōchō
* Nakiri bōchō
* Santoku
* Sashimi bōchō
* Udon kiri
* Unagisaki hōchō
* Usuba bōchō
* Yanagi ba

Other knives|

* Aircrew Survival Egress Knife
* Athame
* Balisong/Butterfly
* Ballistic
* Ballpoint pen knife
* Bayonet
* Boline
* Bolo
* Boot knife
* Bowie
* Cane knife
* Ceramic knife
* Clip point
* Combat knife
* Commander
* Corvo
* CQC-6
* Deba bōchō
* Diving knife
* Drop point
* Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife
* Gerber Mark II
* Ginsu
* Golok
* Gravity knife
* Guna
* Hacking knife
* Higonokami
* Hunting knife
* Husa knife
* Ivan's Knife
* Jacob's ladder
* Karambit
* Kard
* Kirpan
* Kitchen knife
* Kukri
* Laguiole knife
* Machete
* Mandau
* Marking knife
* Misericorde
* Mora knife
* Multi-tool
* Navaja
* Neck knife
* Nontron knife
* Opinel knife
* Palette knife
* Pantographic knife
* Parang
* Penknife
* Penny knife
* Pesh-kabz
* Pirah
* Pocketknife
* Phurba
* Putty knife
* Puukko
* Rampuri
* Resolza
* Sabatier
* Sami knife
* SARK
* Scalpel
* Seax
* Sgian dubh
* Sharpfinger
* Sheath knife
* Shiv
* Sliding knife
* Smatchet
* SOG Knife
* Straight razor
* Strider SMF
* Survival knife
* Swiss Army knife
* Switchblade
* Taping knife
* Throwing knife
* Trench knife
* Tumi
* Ulu
* Utility knife
* Verlängerungsmesser
* Warrior knife
* Wedung
* X-Acto
* Yarara Parachute Knife
* Yatagan

Daggers|

* Anelace
* Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife
* Arkansas toothpick
* BC-41
* Bagh nakh
* Balarao
* Baselard
* Bichuwa
* Bollock dagger
* Cinquedea
* Dha
* Dirk
* Ear dagger
* Emeici
* Facón
* French Nail
* Gunong
* Hunting dagger
* Jambiya
* Jile
* Kabutowari
* Kaiken
* Kalis
* Katar
* Khanjali
* Khanjar
* Kris
* Kunai
* Liaoning dagger
* Mark I trench knife
* Microtech Jagdkommando
* Parrying dagger
* Poignard
* Pugio
* Push dagger
* Rondel dagger
* Seme
* Shobo
* Sica
* Stiletto
* Tantō
* U.S. Marine Raider stiletto
* V-42
* Yoroi-dōshi

Manufacturers|

* Aitor Knife Company
* Al Mar Knives
* American Tomahawk Company
* Aritsugu
* Benchmade
* Böker
* Buck Knives
* Camillus Cutlery Company
* Cattaraugus Cutlery Company
* Chris Reeve Knives
* Chroma Cnife
* Clauss Cutlery Company
* Cobray Company
* Cold Steel
* Columbia River Knife & Tool
* Cuisinart
* Cutco
* Dalian Hanwei Metal
* Dexter-Russell
* Ek Commando Knife Co.
* EKA
* Emerson Knives
* F. Dick
* Fällkniven
* FAMAE
* Fiskars
* Gerber Legendary Blades
* Füritechnics
* Glock Ges.m.b.H.
* Imperial Schrade
* Ivan's
* Ka-Bar
* Kershaw Knives
* Korin Japanese Trading Company
* Kyocera
* Leatherman
* Mad Dog Knives
* Marble Arms
* Medford Knife and Tool
* Microtech Knives
* Morseth
* Muela
* Murphy Knives
* OLFA
* Ontario Knife Company
* Opinel
* Randall Made Knives
* Ranz Cuchillos
* Rösle
* Sabatier
* Shun Cutlery
* Slice, Inc.
* SOG Specialty Knives
* Spyderco
* STI Knives
* Strider Knives
* Thiers Issard
* TOPS Knives
* Tramontina
* Victorinox
* W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.
* Carl Walther GmbH
* Wenger
* Western Knife Company
* Wilkinson Sword
* Wüsthof
* Yoshida Metal Industry
* Global
* Zero Tolerance Knives
* Zwilling J. A. Henckels

Knifemakers|

* Rex Applegate
* James Black
* Tom Brown Jr.
* Blackie Collins
* John Nelson Cooper
* Jack W. Crain
* Ernest Emerson
* Jerry Fisk
* Bill Harsey Jr.
* Phill Hartsfield
* Gil Hibben
* Jimmy Lile
* Bob Loveless
* William F. Moran
* Ken Onion
* Ralph Osterhout
* Bo Randall
* Chris Reeve
* A. G. Russell
* Jody Samson
* William Scagel
* Mike Snody
* Robert Terzuola
* Michael Walker
* Buster Warenski
* Daniel Winkler

Associations|

* American Bladesmith Society
* Cutlery and Allied Trades Research Association
* Knifemakers' Guild

* Category:Knives / Daggers

* v
* t
* e

Hand tool manufacturers

Current|

* Apex Tool Group
* Allen
* Armstrong Tools
* Crescent
* Diamond
* K-D Tools
* Lufkin
* Nicholson
* Plumb
* SATA Tools
* Wiss
* Xcelite
* Beta Utensili
* Bondhus
* Bosch
* Dremel
* Buck Bros.
* Channellock
* Cornwell Tools
* Cyclone Tools
* DASCO PRO, INC.
* Dawn Tools
* Digitool Solutions
* Disston Saw Works
* EGA Master
* Eklind
* Emerson
* Greenlee
* Klauke
* Ridgid
* Empire Level
* Estwing
* Felo
* FEW
* Fiskars
* Gerber
* Footprint Tools
* Gardner Bender
* Gedore
* Gray Tools
* Dynamic Tools
* Great Neck Saw
* Grey Pneumatic
* GreatStar
* SK Hand Tools
* Hazet
* Hans tools
* Heyco
* Hilti
* Husqvarna
* Gardena
* Ideal Industries
* Pratt-Read
* iFixit
* IMPERIAL-Newton Corp
* KC Tools
* Kincrome
* King Tony Tools
* Klein Tools
* Knipex
* KUKKO
* Leatherman
* Lie-Nielsen Toolworks
* Lisle Corporation
* Lowell Corporation
* M7 Mighty-Seven
* Matco Tools
* Martin Tool & Forge
* Maun Industries
* Mondial
* Mountz Inc
* Mumme Tools
* Norbar Torque
* Oregon Tool
* OTC
* Park Tool
* PB Swiss Tools
* Saltus
* Sandvik
* SENCO
* Snap-on
* Bahco
* CDI Torque Products
* Williams
* SOG
* Stahlwille
* Stanley Black & Decker
* Blackhawk
* Bostitch
* Craftsman
* DeWalt
* Irwin
* Lenox
* Mac Tools
* Porter-Cable
* Proto
* Sidchrome
* Stanley Hand Tools
* Stihl
* Stubai
* Sutton Tools
* Texton
* Textron
* Paladin Tools
* Techtronic Industries
* Milwaukee
* Thorsen Manufacturing
* Tomé Fèteira
* Tone Tools
* Toptul
* Torque-Tech
* Unior
* Vaughan
* Vessel
* Vesper Tools
* Victorinox
* Wenger
* Warren and Brown
* Wera Tools
* Wescott
* Westward Tools
* Wiha Tools
* Witte Tools
* Wright Tool

Historic|

* Coes Wrench Company
* Easco Hand Tools
* Forest City Screwdriver and Drill Company
* Goodell-Pratt
* Hinsdale
* Holtzapffel
* Indestro
* Mathieson
* McKaig-Hatch
* Millers Falls
* New Britain Machine Company
* Norris
* North Brothers Manufacturing Company
* Preston
* H. D. Smith & Co.
* Stewart Spiers
* Utica Tools
* Bonney Forge
* Herbrand
* Vlchek
* Western Forge

Current house brands|

* Ace Hardware
* Ace Tools
* AutoZone
* Duralast
* Blain's Farm and Fleet
* Duracraft
* Canadian Tire
* Mastercraft
* Grainger
* Westward
* Harbor Freight Tools
* Atlas
* Bauer
* Chicago Electric
* Drill Master
* Hercules
* Pittsburgh
* Quinn
* ICON
* Warrior
* The Home Depot
* Husky
* Lee Valley
* Veritas
* Lowe's
* Kobalt
* Menards
* Masterforce
* True Value
* Master Mechanic

Historic house brands|

* Montgomery Ward
* PowrKraft
* JC Penney
* Penncraft

Portals:

* Companies
* Switzerland

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template