Loading...

Something went wrong while trying to load the full version of this site. Try hard-refreshing this page to fix the error.

Soldatenmesser und ihre Varianten

Military knives and their variants

Elsinox · 2026-03-16T12:49:15+00:00

I recently managed to acquire a large collection of military knives and their civilian versions. I’d like to showcase a few of them here and write a little about them – but of course other users are welcome to share their own military knives or variants, so that we can have a lively discussion and learn from one another. Here is the first example. [upl-image-preview uuid=76623c0f-df90-450e-a97a-bb1c4cd18e79 url=https://community.victorinox.com/assets/files/2026-03-16/1773665200-635400-4.jpg alt={TEXT?}] [upl-image-preview uuid=c178057d-ff68-4506-a93a-d04df43fddd6 url=https://community.victorinox.com/assets/files/2026-03-16/1773665200-599541-3.jpg alt={TEXT?}] This is a civilian version of a Model 08 (1908) military knife manufactured by Elsener Schwyz (now Victorinox). It bears the WK hallmark, meaning it was manufactured after 1915. This means that, whilst it was purchased in retail outlets, it was permitted for use in military service due to the WK stamp. This was common practice at the time. In 1916, Karl Elsener had specifically submitted a request to the relevant military department that civilian soldier’s knives might also be stamped with the WK mark so that they could be sold in retail outlets. This request was granted. The hope was that if, as in 1914, the demand for soldier’s knives were to suddenly skyrocket due to a war, additional sources would be available to better meet the demand. These stamped civilian soldier’s knives were distributed through the Association of Swiss Knife Makers. [upl-image-preview uuid=2322bde4-50df-4ce6-b923-d340441a1106 url=https://community.victorinox.com/assets/files/2026-03-16/1773665200-557156-2.jpg alt={TEXT?}] [upl-image-preview uuid=092506b5-da60-480c-a853-e2d4687937cf url=https://community.victorinox.com/assets/files/2026-03-16/1773665200-507019-1.jpg alt={TEXT?}] With this knife, it is only the manufacturer’s stamp that indicates it is a civilian version and not a military version. The military version had a different manufacturer’s stamp: Elsener Schwyz. This italicised lettering is also very rare on civilian soldier’s knives. [upl-image-preview uuid=dac5d6cf-6dfd-40cc-bf5b-088c8c305e95 url=https://community.victorinox.com/assets/files/2026-03-16/1773665200-656644-5.jpg alt={TEXT?}] Generally speaking, civilian versions are rarer than the official soldier’s knives issued to the Swiss Army. The demand for civilian soldier’s knives was estimated to be roughly the same as the annual supply to the Swiss Army, i.e. between 15,000 and 22,000 units. Unlike the official military knife, there were many versions of the civilian soldier’s knife, featuring different hallmarks, different materials, and later tools made of rust-resistant steel, which means these individual variants can be very rare. The knife is in very good overall condition, which is evident not only from the tools but also from the WK hallmark. Estimated value: 150–200 USD. What do you think of this version of the Model 08 soldier’s knife?

Elsinox

MichaelRothenpieler

« Previous Page

From the makers of the original swiss army knife™

Established 1884

General Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy Legal Notice Brand Protection Code of Conduct Cookie-Center Internal

Victorinox 2026