Bloc Magazine Spring 15

ELSENER SWISS FAMILY WORDS // MATILDA CROUCH ------------------------------------------------------ T he Swiss Army has the world’s best manicured nails, can open wine bottles under battlefield conditions and painlessly remove grit from a horse’s hoof…thanks to the work of four generations of knife-makers, all answering to the name Carl. Great grandfather Karl Elsener, a journeyman cutlery manufacturer, secured the contract to supply the military with blades in 1891. And with it he guaranteed the future of his family for more than 120 years to come. Karl invented the iconic Swiss Army Knife in his workshop and patented it as the Swiss Officer’s and Sports Knife in 1897. He added the now-famous cross and shield emblem to the handle to distinguish it from rival blades and pale imitations. He named the fledgling family company after his late mother Victoria adding “inox”, from the French for stainless steel, after its invention in 1921. Victorinox now employs more than 1,700 worldwide and generates sales in excess of £360million from its headquarters in the chocolate-box-beautiful Swiss canton of Schwyz. All under the watchful eye of president and CEO, Carl Elsener junior. In 2006 the company produced about 34,000 Swiss Army knives, 38,000 multi-tools, and 30,000 household, kitchen, and knives per workday. Approximately 90 per cent of its production is exported, to more than 100 countries. After the Second World War, the US Army, Marines and Air Force bought large numbers of blades that they called Swiss Army Knives, for short. The name stuck and was adopted by the company for use in all English-speaking countries. 16 // WWW.BLOCHOTELS.COM KARL CARL I, CARL SNR CARL JNR