Wenger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wenger was one of the two brands of Swiss Army knives before it was acquired by Victorinox, the other official brand, in 2005.[1]
After Victorinox obtained Wenger in 2005, Victorinox became the sole company supplying the Swiss Army with Swiss Army knives. Formerly each company sold its knives to the Swiss Army, in equal quantities.
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[edit] Early History
In 1893 at Courtetelle in Delémont valley in the French-speaking Canton of Jura, the industrial cutlery house of Jupiter Paul Boechat & Co received a contract from the Swiss Army to produce knives. In 1898, Theodore Wenger was hired to be its manager and later renamed the company Wenger & David.
One of Wenger's first acts was to acquire a manufacturer of spoons and forks which he moved to a rented factory in Delemont. In 1900 a new 18,000 square foot facility was built. Both the utensil operations and the Courtetelle cutlery production were incorporated into the new plant now called Fabrique Suisse de Courtetellerie at Services.
In 1908 the Swiss army decided to split the contract, with half of the order going to Victorinox, in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, and the other half to Wenger. They claim they did this in the interest of national harmony, but they may also have been interested in fostering competition.
[edit] Modern History
- In 1929, after Theo Wenger's death, Kaspar Oertli gained majority share in the company.
- In 1986, the factory was modernized following a factory fire.
- In 1988, Wenger started producing watches.
- In 2005, Victorinox obtained Wenger, but plans to continue the brand. Wenger are advertised as the "Genuine Swiss Army Knife" and Victorinox as the "Original Swiss Army Knife".
[edit] Other Products
In addition to Swiss Army knives, Wenger also sell watches. In Canada, due to a trademark conflict with the Wenger Watch Company, all Wenger watches are sold under the trademark Swiss Military, elsewhere they are branded Wenger.
Wenger also produces kitchen knives under the brand names of SWIBO and Grand-Maître and scissors under the Swissors name.
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 and sleeping bags), luggage, backpacks and office/business needs.
