In the 1890s Theodore Wenger and his Swiss-born, and very homesick wife, lived in the United States, where he ministered and preached the Gospel. His father was a pastor and Theodore was following in his footsteps. His wife, though, preferred her native country to the States, and even Theodore was less than enthralled with his line of work. His life's story would prove that he had talents beyond the evangelical.
Doubtless he hesitated at all when, in 1897, Wenger's father-in-law asked him to be the general manager of Paul Boechat & Cie, a cutlery manufacturer which had recently received a government contract to make knives for, among others, army personnel. Despite its historical neutrality, the Swiss army (actually the Swiss Armed Forces) was, and is, highly trained and valued in the country. The army is comprised of professional soldiers and a national militia. Within certain parameters, Swiss citizens are required to be a part of the military, and must maintain a reservist status until age 50.
Knives were standard issue for all military personnel, and so too were automatic rifles. To clean the government-issued rifles a screwdriver was needed. The cutlery industry in Switzerland was quite capable of making high quality knives, but lacked mass production capabilities. Germany, another country with a fine reputation for cutlery, provided knives to the Swiss government. Soon enough, though, a Swiss manufacturer developed better-that is, faster-production capabilities and became the country's first official knife maker, as known as Victorinox.
Paul Boechat & Cie became the second government-sanctioned cutlery producer, and Theodore Wenger, once he'd worked his way to the top, greatly expanded and enhanced the company's presence and its manufacturing capabilities over his forty some years at the helm. Wenger, as Paul Boechat & Cie would soon become, was located geographically in the French speaking section of Switzerland, Victorinox in the German. Friction, not surprisingly, ensued.
In 1908, to diminish tension between the two companies, the Swiss government allowed Victorinox to claim that it was the "original" manufacturer of Swiss army knives; Wenger could claim its product was "genuine." That is the distinction the two firms retain today, and of course they now both are at least as well known for their watches as for their knives.
What characterizes a Wenger watch is what characterizes all Swiss-made products: precision, precision, and even greater precision.
Wenger watches are characterized more by their utility and precision then by aesthetics. And yet many of their watches-for example the Wenger Men's AeroGraph Black Dial Black Strap-achieve a distinct visual appeal by virtue of their simplicity. The AeroGraph is manufactured to look dependable (because of course it is highly dependable) and that in itself gives it an aesthetic that is not too far from, say, a Bell & Ross, where also function embellishes form: simplicity becomes, in its way, ornate.
Notable other models include the AquaGraph, TerraGraph, and Commando.
