Opinel history

		- Start of the 19th century The Opinel family first began to forge metal at the start of the 19th century. In 1817, Victor-Amédée was working as a peddler and learned his trade as a blacksmith during his rounds. He set up a forge in Albiez le Vieux, a small village near St Jean de Maurienne in the Savoie region, where he made nails, billhooks, knives, etc. His son Daniel (front row, right) took over the workshop and followed in his father’s footsteps.
		-- 1872 Birth of Joseph Opinel in Gévoudaz in the Savoie region. Seen here as a young man, he was a keen photographer, this being his second love after knife-making.
		-- 1890 As an edge tool maker in the Albiez workshop, and against the advice of his father, Joseph produced the first Opinel knife models. "Good sense, the feeling of comfort when gripped, the convenience of being able to put it in your pocket gradually determined the overall shape of the Opinel knife". Extract from: “Opinel - Une tradition centenaire” (“Opinel – A hundred year-old tradition”) by Pierre DOMPNIER
		-- 1897 The series of twelve sizes, numbered 1 to 12, was developed.
		- 1901-1903 Joseph Opinel built his first factory in Pont de Gévoudaz and produced a machine for making the handles.
		-- 1909 Joseph Opinel registered his first knife-making trademark and chose the "Crowned Hand" as an emblem
		-- 1911 Gold Medal at the International Alpine Exhibition in Turin (Italy) The little Opinel knife gradually became well-known and appreciated. It was also sold in Italy and Switzerland before 1914.
		-- 1914 Start of mass production
		- 1915 Joseph Opinel took over an abandoned tannery (with its waterfall, the Hyères canal) in Cognin, a suburb of Chambéry, to set up a new factory closer to major communication routes. From 1920 onwards, installed in the new factory, Joseph successfully led Opinel’s industrial and commercial development, supported by his two sons Marcel and Léon.
		- 1926 A fire completely destroyed the factory.
		- 1927 A modern new factory was rebuilt and opened at the end of 1927.
		- 1930 From 1930, Marcel Opinel built special production machines from scratch.
		- 1932 Production of the No. 1 and 11 knives is stopped
		- 1950 Maurice Opinel (the son of Marcel) joined the business, which now had 50 workers.
		- 1955 The safety ring was invented. This simple and effective device was a significant improvement on the original knife
		- 1960 Death of Joseph Opinel at the age of 88
		- 1973 Creation of the Chambéry La Révériaz factory. Automated production (wood).
		- 1981 At the Chambéry La Révériaz site, construction of a knife assembly workshop and a logistics platform. The headquarters and blade and safety catch production workshop were kept at Cognin.
		- 1985 Opinel was recognized as one of the hundred best designed objects in the world at the “Victoria and Albert Museum”, alongside the Porsche 911 and the Rolex watch.
		- 1989 Opinel entered the Larousse dictionary as a common noun (registered trademark).
		- 2000 The Virobloc safety catch system was modified to ensure safety during carrying (the blade can be locked in the closed position).
		- 2003 Construction and opening of the new headquarters at the Chambéry la Révériaz site.
		- 2006 In the “Phaidon Design Classics” the Opinel was designated as one of the 999 most successful designs of all time by a jury of international designers.