Victorinox Swiss Army Watches

Swiss Army Watches are made by Victorinox. This company was founded by Carl Elsener in 1884, in the town of Ibach in Switzerland. Today, Swiss Army Waches have four major collections: Professional, Classic, Active and Limited Edition.

Victorinox is the corporation that invented renowned Swiss Army knives. Since it bought its rival manufacturer Wenger, in 2005, it has become the only supplier of these multi-functional knives to the Swiss army.

The company’s recognizable emblem is a cross in a shield. This insignia has been in use since 1909. That was the year when Carl Elsener’s mother died and when he decided to name the company Victoria in her honor. The firm’s name changed to Victorinox (Victoria + Inox) in 1921, because of the introduction of stainless steel (acier inoxydable in French).

After a century and a quarter of success, Victorinox is still owned by Elsener family, and its current president and CEO is Carl Elsener Junior. However, today it is rather large business that employs 1,700 people and exports its products to more than 100 countries in the world. Besides, it has yearly operating income of 485 million CHF.

The First Watch Model in 1989

Apart from their iconic product, the Swiss Army knife, Victorinox (now based in the city of Biel/Bienne) is renowned for its watches. The Swiss company started making these products in 1989. The first watch model, named Swiss Army Original Watch is still available and it is very popular and desired.

However, there is a certain amount of confusion, regarding the names of these timepieces. Originally, all watches made by this corporation were produced with words “Swiss Army” on the dial. This designation was typical until 2007, when Swiss watchmakers started launching products with the name Victorinox Swiss Army Watches. Nowadays, it is unlikely to encounter a new timepiece without the name of the company on its dial.

Another important year in Victorinox’s history was 2009. That was the year of the 125^th anniversary of the Swiss watch firm and also the 20^th birthday of Swiss Army Original Watch. In order to celebrate these events, Victorinox introduced many new products and limited editions (the most exclusive being the 125th anniversary Infantry Chrono that consisted of only 125 pieces).

Since it joined the timekeeping market, Swiss corporation has broadened its product line. Their first model is still available, but today there are many more collections. Each of four major categories includes various lines of Victorinox Swiss Army Watches.