The Post-1973 Heavyweight Heir to the Champion B

Introduction

The Victorinox Craftsman 136fm emerges in 1973, directly inheriting the structure of the Champion B 146fm from the 1960s.

👉📜Victorinox Transitional Year 1973 – a pivotal moment in Swiss Army Knife history

It represents the classic “heavyweight” 6-layer format, carrying forward the legacy of its ancestor without the Long Nail File (LNF).

Though no longer flagship — a title now held by the Champion C — the Craftsman remained a durable and highly useful configuration through the 1970s and 1980s.

I. Technical Overview — A 6-layer configuration

• Closed length: 91 mm
• Old reference: 136fm
• Architecture: 6 layers
• Production period: 1973 – early 2000s

Tool configuration

Late 1970's Craftsman 

Large blade
Small blade

Wood saw
Metal file
Scissors

Can opener + small screwdriver

Bottle opener + large screwdriver + wire stripper

Fish scaler / Plier after 1986

Late 1980's Craftsman 

Back Layer Tools

Reamer / awl
Rear Phillips screwdriver

Scale Tools

Toothpick
Tweezers

A direct lineage from Champion B

The Craftsman 136fm is fundamentally the Champion B architecture simplified:

• Champion B (146fm) carried an LNF layer as part of its definition
  Late 1971 Champion B 146fm:
  
  
• The Craftsman removes the LNF, retaining all other layers
  Early 1973 Craftsman 136fm:
  
  
• This results in a 6-layer format that balances outdoor capability with down-to-earth practicality
  1970's Catalogue: 
  

Rather than innovate, Victorinox here refines a proven toolset — and the Craftsman carries it forward for almost two decades.

II. A Hoffritz favorite

An interesting commercial note from the era:

In the 1970s Hoffritz catalogues (USA), the Craftsman (in its early years) is featured prominently and marketed as a “favorite” among multi-tool enthusiasts, much like its predecessor the Champion was in earlier decades.

Hoffritz Catalogue 1960's picturing Champion B THE FAVORITE 

Hoffritz Catalogue 1970's picturing Craftsman THE FAVORITE 

Craftsman Hoffritz 1976-1978 with Hoffritz Metal inlay 

This reflects its broad appeal on the export market — especially in the United States — where Hoffritz was a key distributor of Swiss Army Knives.

III. The 1980s transformation — Plier upgrade

Mid 1980's Catalogue - Craftsman still with Fishscaler 

In the late 1980s, the Craftsman becomes one of the first traditional 6-layer models to receive a 2.5 mm plier layer, replacing the fish scaler.

Early 1990's Catalogue - Craftsman with Plier 

Craftsman 1986-1988 first thin plier

Shortly thereafter (c. 1988), the pliers are reinforced, and the configuration settles into what becomes the final toolset for this model.

Craftsman 1988-1991 reinforced plier

This change marks a subtle but important shift:
Victorinox is now integrating pliers into multiple layers as standard — a trend that will define the next wave of heavy multi-tool configurations.

IV. Apollo 11 20th Anniversary Special (1989)

One of the most intriguing collector highlights for the Craftsman is the 1989 Apollo 11 20th Anniversary special run.

Craftsman Astronaut 

For this edition, the model was chosen as the base for a commemorative metal Astronaut inlay depicting Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface — a rare and visually striking tribute that elevates the Craftsman into collector mythology.

It stands among the most iconic metal inlays of the late 20th century.

👉Victorinox Commemorative & Collector Metal Inlays

V. Sunset and Discontinuation

Though it survived longer than many of its peers, the Craftsman quietly disappears in the early 2000s 

As Victorinox progressively rationalized its range — and especially after the acquisition of Wenger — the brand moved away from overly complete, structurally dense configurations in favor of clearer segmentation.

Heavy 6-layer models that once represented the pinnacle of versatility became less central to the strategy. The SwissChamp kept the flagship position, while intermediate heavyweight models like the Craftsman gradually faded from the catalog.

Late Craftsman early 2000's

In that sense, the Craftsman marks the end of an era — the last expression of the classic Champion lineage before range simplification reshaped the 91 mm ecosystem.

Collector Perspective and Significance

The Victorinox Craftsman is important in multiple ways:

• A direct descendant of the Champion flagship architecture
• A durable mainstream model through the 1970s and 1980s
• One of the first traditional models to adopt pliers
• The base for the Apollo 11 20th Anniversary Astronaut inlay
• A model cherished both in daily use and collector circles

Its quiet longevity and evolution reflect the transitional era between classic Officer knives and the modern multi-tool mindset.

Related Models

• 👉Master Craftsman 236m – A structurally related 5-layer heavier model
• 👉Champion C – The true post-1973 flagship with magnifying glass
• 👉Champion B 146fm – The direct ancestor with LNF
• 👉 Handyman 236fm – The Corkscrew counterpart

Conclusion

The Victorinox Craftsman 136fm occupies a special place in the post-1973 Officer knife lineup.

Rooted in the Champion flagship heritage, it balances classic multi-tool capability with practical refinement.

Through its long production window and meaningful special runs, the Craftsman bridges the gap between mid-century classics and late-20th-century tool evolution — earning its place as one of the most compelling transitional models in the 91 mm story.

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

Date your Swiss Army Knife using the interactive visual tool based on tang stamps and tool evolution:
👉 ⌛ Swiss Army Knife Dating Guide – Victorinox Interactive Dating & Tools 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