The Interesting History of Swiss Army Knife Wenger Watches

Wenger is a popular brand due to its invention of the Swiss Army Knife. In addition to the multifunctional knives that the brand offers, Wenger also produces watches. These watches are designed around the Swiss Army Knife and are related to all the basic ideas and concepts of the knife, which includes having a multifunctional outdoor focus. But they also make other watches that focus only on elegance. You can check out our list of the Wenger Swiss Army Knife Watches to see the watches that they offer.

The brand has been a key name in Swiss Watch manufacturing. However, it is among the lesser-known brands as watches are quite new with their portfolio. Wenger watches are unbelievably functional, and some models are designed to be fashionable. These watches also have a diverse and longwinded history. If you want to learn more about it, read on as we’re giving you more information about the interesting history of Swiss Army Knife Wenger Watches.

man sitting on a chair while looking at his watch

How the Wenger Brand Began

Let us first learn about how the Wenger brand started. It was in 1893 when the history of Wenger started, and it was in Courtelle, which was a small town near Delemont in the Swiss Jura region.  It began as an industrial cutlery house called Paul Boechat & Cie. The company acquired a contract with the Swiss Army to create knives, starting production of the tool that is now popularly known as the Swiss Army Knife. 

In 1897, Theodore Wenger became part of the brand, which was some years after it was founded. Theodore served as a minister in the United States and was employed by some entrepreneurs while he was on his journey back home to Switzerland. That group of entrepreneurs had just purchased Paul Boechat & Cie. Theodore then became a board member and made it his instant mission to get a machine to create spoons so that the company could expand the range of the products that it offers. 

Over the years, the company continued to grow. It developed a passion for precision, quality, and outstanding craftsmanship. The most popular and sought-after product that they have continued to be the Swiss Army Knife, the multitool that is made to be multifunctional and can help its owner in different ways and situations. 

How Wenger Started Watchmaking

In 1997, Wenger started to make watches. Even though they only have just about 20 years of experience in the craft, the brand became one of the key names in the Swiss watchmaking industry. The watches of Wenger, like its Swiss Army Knives, are designed to have multifunctional uses. They are created mainly for people who like to spend a lot of time outdoors, engaging in different activities, such as camping and hiking.

However, later on, Wenger realized that purely practical watches were not going to appeal to all people. With this, they decided to expand their range to include watches that are designed for the sole purpose of fashion and style. This is why in addition to the multifunctional watches they offer, the brand also decided to introduce watches that were made for style and fashion.

a Swiss Army Knife

Wenger in the Modern Times

When 2001 came, Wenger faced difficult times after 9/11 happened. One of the most popular sales points for Swiss Army Knives was at Duty-Free kiosks in airports. However, after the tragedy, pocketknives were prohibited in air travel, which caused a big loss of profit for Wenger. With this, the brand was forced to reorganize its business. Fortunately, there was another manufacturer of Swiss Army Knife that was able to acquire Wenger, which is Victorinox. It had saved the brand during difficult times. 

After Victorinox had acquired Wenger, the brand identity was retained and shifted its focus to the production of watches and other products. This is why in recent years, Wenger has expanded into producing luggage and other travel accessories so that it can diversify its business and appeal to many customers. At the present time, there are many different Wenger Watches that you can choose from, as the brand’s watch portfolio offers amazing options for different kinds of people. 

Conclusion

It is amazing to learn that the creation of Wenger Watches was also rooted in multipurpose tools. This means that the watches can also be relied upon to be practical, robust, and multifunctional. Even though the brand has faced troubling times, it’s great to know that it was able to shift its focus onto watches, making it one of the major names when it comes to Swiss watchmaking. We hope this article helped you learn more about the history of Wenger Swiss Army Knife Watches.

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