2009-07-30 08:36:33
By Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Geneva
In Switzerland, there is a saying that every good Swiss citizen has one in his
or her pocket.
It is an object that is recognised all over the world, and it is globally
popular.
But the Swiss army knife had humble beginnings, and, at the start, it wasn't
even red.
In the late 19th Century, the Swiss army issued its soldiers with a gun which
required a special screwdriver to dismantle and clean it.
At the same time, tinned food was becoming common in army rations. Swiss
generals decided to issue each soldier with a standard knife.
It was a life-saver for Swiss knife makers, who were, at the time, struggling
to compete with cheaper German imports.
"My great-grandfather started a small business in 1884, 125 years ago,"
explains Carl Elsener, head of the Swiss knife manufacturer Victorinox.
"He was making knives for farmers, for in the kitchen and so on, and then he
heard that the Swiss army wanted a knife for every Swiss soldier."
Carl Elsener senior seized that opportunity with both hands, and designed a
knife that the army loved.
"It was a very simple thing," explains his great-grandson. "It had a black
handle, one big blade, a tin opener and a screwdriver."
Global cult object
Now, to mark the 125th anniversary, that first knife is on display at an
exhibition at the Forum for Swiss History, together with hundreds of other
Swiss army knives.
"The thing about the army knife is that it really has become a kind of global
cult object," says Pia Schubiger, curator of the museum. "Everyone seems to
have one, lots of people even have collections of them, and we wanted to
explore this phenomenon."
Exhibits include the "Schweizer Offizier Messer", or Swiss Officer's Knife,
which came on the market a few years after the soldier's knife.
A more elegant design, it included a corkscrew and a pair of scissors.
Interestingly, the officer's knife was never issued to those serving in the
army. The Swiss military purchasers considered the corkscrew not "essential for
survival", and so officers had to buy this knife individually.
But it was this design, says Carl Elsener, which launched the knife as a global
brand.
"After the Second World War, Europe was full of American soldiers," he
explains. "And as they could buy the Swiss army knife at PX stores (shops on
military bases), they bought huge quantities of them."
"But it seems "Schweizer Offizier Messer" was too difficult for them to say, so
they just called it the Swiss army knife, and that is the name it is now known
by all over the world."
Prototypes
Today, there seems to be a knife for every kind of activity. There are knives
with altimeters for mountaineers and knives for anglers with special tools to
get hooks out of the mouths of fish.
But not every prototype proved successful, and some of these are on display as
well, including a knife with a pencil sharpener. It made an ugly bulge at one
end of the knife, and was eventually rejected.
Then there is the knife with a special blade for cutting cheese in precise
slices of exactly the same shape and thickness. It seems that even in
Switzerland, there was not enough of a market for this one.
And in pride of place, there is the knife which no-one will ever put in their
pocket, but which has an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. With 314
blades, it is the world's biggest penknife.
Visitors also have the chance to make their own knives - a basic design,
including the ever popular corkscrew, bottle opener, tweezers, toothpick and
screwdriver.
Space shuttle
Master knife makers can put one together in less than two minutes, but for
amateurs it takes much more time, patience, and a very steady hand.
Nevertheless, visitors to the exhibition are queuing up to try.
It is a sign of just how successful the idea has become, despite one or two
false starts, like the cheese blade.
The Swiss army knife has even been into space with the crew of the space
shuttle.
And an oversized copy is on display in New York's Museum of Modern Art.
Its original designer probably never dreamt of such attention.
"I do not expect my great-grandfather ever had the idea that the Swiss army
knife would be popular over the whole world, and become a symbol for Swiss
quality and reliability," says Carl Elsener.
"I think for him his vision was, in his small workshop, to manufacture a knife
for the Swiss army."
Do you have a Swiss army knife? What do you use it for? Has it ever got you out
of a scrape? Send us your stories:
I have two and the old penknife of my grandfather. I've used them for a
thousand household and roadside repairs, not to mention filing finger nails and
extracting splinters! But does the law still allow me to keep one in my pocket?
Wolfie Peters, Birmingham, UK
Of course I have had a Swiss army knife for the last 40 years. I have used it
to repair an aircraft in the bush in Africa (throttle linkage came adrift). I
used it to solder a leak in a Land Rover radiator (heated the blade tip red
hot). I could fill a book with its uses. And I still have the knife in my
pocket right now. Look!! Richard Palmer, Essen, Germany
I bought the Swiss army knife in 1989 in Samoa and it has always been the first
tool to use when i need a scewdriver or scissors even a file,it has remained in
good condition throughout this period. Milton M. Mokah, Nairobi, Kenya
My father bought me my first knife forty years ago - a humble Swiss Army with
one blade, a screwdriver & scissors. I used it for years until snapping the
blade whilst levering up a floorboard! Undaunted, I returned it to Switzerland
for repair - unfortunately it was lost in the system and Victorinox sent me a
much more expensive replacement as compensation. Four months later, my original
knife popped through the letter box, resplendent with brand new internals. It
brought a tear to my eye. Great knife from a great company. Tristan Martens
I have a Swiss army which I always take with me when I travel. But since strict
security laws were put in place after 9/11, I don't take it with me on my
person as I would end up having it confisicated by airport security. A shame
really as the scissors and little knife is useful for opening packets, wrapping
and just about anything on a plane. Brenda Lyall, Aberdeen
In the 1980s, I was working in the USSR. One trip involved shipping in several
thousand dollars' worth of computer equipment. We got as far as Customs in
Moscow Airport where we were met by a young lad whose favourite word (perhaps
his only word) was "niet". After much standing around, the "import duty" was
agreed and we were on our way. The cost? One Swiss Army knife. Mark, London
I have had many Swiss army knives and carried them with me at all times.
However since airport security tightened I seem to have donated at least six
knives which commemorated various engineering projects or were presents from
vendors into the security companies' hands. So now I don't carry the knife and
have to borrow from the Hotel / vendor the tools that previously I had to hand.
Where did all those Swiss Army knives go? Carolynn, Den Haag, Holland