Saturday, May 18, 2013

Brown Boveri Vintage Victorinox Tourist


This is one popular knife. It's the second one in a year of searching for those old gems... The Tourist was back then the Spartan of the present day. Companies loved it as a promotional tool because it was a fairly cheap knife and had al the necessary tools for any every day task. This one in particular has the Brown Boveri stamp instead of the Victorinox shield and after some research I found that this was a Swiss company, founded in 1891 in Baden which produced generators and turbines for power plants. The knife looks used, but not abused (as Marios Kardaras would say ;)  ) and after a large cleanup and lube it still shows the wear and tear, but at least everything shines like new... The strange thing is that this one has an unused reamer. this is normally the first thing to loose the tip, certainly on the older knives. 


Age - marks :

* Cellidor scales : These scales were introduced in 1937. Before 1937 the scales were made from fibre, and had no mirror polish. This knife has cellidor scales!
* Can opener : This type can opener is the more recent one and the strange thing is that this one hasn't got the PAT marking on it. Every tool on this knife points direction 50's-60's, but if I look at the can opener it should be made arround the seventies or later.
* REAMER : This older type reamer was used till 1961 and a very distinctive age-mark for any Victorinox.
* Small blade : The small blade has a clip point. These blades were used till 1973.
* Cap lifter : The cap lifter, here used, with sharpened curve, without the 90 degree lock, was manufactured from 1951 till 1980.
* Blade stamp : The main blade stamp says VICTORIA with the crossbow in the middle. On the back it says Victorinox Switzerland Stainless Rostfrei. The back stamp was used from 1952 and the front one from arround 1943. 





Conclusion :

When I look at all the tools, materials and stampings, this knife should be made arround the 50's. From 1951 to 1961 would be the time window, but if I look at the blade stamping, I would say early fifties since VICTORIA was used around 1943.

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