📝 Victorinox Clipper

March 12, 2026

The Corkscrew Version of the Automobile Special

Introduction

The Victorinox Clipper is one of the least documented models in the 91 mm Officer Knife range.

Technically, the Clipper is almost identical to the Automobile Special, but replaces the back Phillips screwdriver with a corkscrew.

Unlike the Automobile Special, the Clipper never appears in Victorinox catalogues, suggesting it was likely produced in small batches or for specific distributors.

Most known examples appear to date from the early 1990s, although evidence suggests the configuration may have existed earlier in limited runs.

I. Technical Overview

The Clipper follows the same 3-layer architecture as the Automobile Special.

Main Tools

Large blade
Small blade

Metal file

Can opener + small screwdriver
Bottle opener + large screwdriver + wire stripper

Back Layer Tools

Corkscrew
Reamer / awl

Scale Tools

Toothpick
Tweezers

Keyring

II. Relation to the Automobile Special

Structurally, the Clipper can be understood as the corkscrew counterpart to the Automobile Special.

Both models share the same architecture:

blades
metal file
opener layer

The only difference lies in the back tool configuration:

Automobile Special → Phillips screwdriver
Clipper → corkscrew

Because the Automobile Special itself was already rarely documented in catalogues, the Clipper appears to represent an even more obscure variant or evolution of this configuration.

III. Production Period

Although Victorinox documentation is scarce, the majority of surviving examples suggest production during the early 1990s, after discontinuation of the Automobile Special.

This places the Clipper at the end of the lineage of three-layer technical knives featuring the metal file, a configuration that had been present since the earlier Automobile model of the 1960s.

By that time, Victorinox was progressively simplifying the range, and many specialized configurations disappeared.

The 1986 Brown Boveri Celebration Variant

For many years, Brown Boveri (BBC) used Victorinox knives from the Automobile and Automobile Special family as corporate gifts, reflecting the company’s strong association with engineering and industrial technology.

In 1986, during major work on the turbo-alternator units at the Zion Nuclear Power Station, Victorinox produced a commemorative knife for the occasion.

Interestingly, instead of the usual Automobile Special configuration, this edition appears in the Clipper configuration, replacing the back Phillips screwdriver with a corkscrew.

This subtle change likely reflects the celebratory nature of the event: while the Automobile Special embodied the technical identity of the company, the corkscrew-equipped Clipper adds a more festive and symbolic dimension, appropriate for a commemorative gift marking the completion of a major project.

Collector Perspective and Significance

For collectors, the Clipper is notable for several reasons:

absence from Victorinox catalogues
extremely limited documentation
structural link to the Automobile Special
early corporate example for Brown Boveri

Because of these factors, the Clipper is considered a very uncommon variant within the technical branch of Victorinox models.

Conclusion

The Victorinox Clipper represents a little-known variation within the family of technical Victorinox knives built around the metal file configuration.

Essentially a corkscrew variant of the Automobile Special, the model appears to have been produced in limited numbers and largely outside the standard catalogue structure.

Its connection to corporate runs such as the 1986 Brown Boveri example further illustrates how Victorinox occasionally produced small-scale variations that today remain among the most intriguing discoveries for collectors.

This article is part of the SAKnife Archives, an independent collector-driven project dedicated to documenting Victorinox Swiss Army Knives. All photographs shown come from the SAKnife private collection unless otherwise noted. The historical and technical information presented here is based on period catalogues and expert collector databases. Additional material will be added as new information emerges.

Identify every Victorinox 91 mm configuration using the structural identification tree:
👉 🔎 Victorinox 91mm Identification Tree – Identify Your Swiss Army Knife by Toolset

Identify the production period of your Swiss Army Knife using the interactive visual tool based on tang stamps and tool evolution:
👉 ⌛ Swiss Army Knife Production Period Guide – Victorinox Interactive Tool Evolution

Explore the evolution of Victorinox 91 mm Swiss Army Knives and discover related model sheets in the historical timeline:
👉 📘 Swiss Army Knife History & 91 mm Model Evolution