You can immediately feel the passion when Michael Bach talks about the idea of his own knife manufactory and the story of how his company sknife (swiss knife) was born. His eyes light up as he recalls his conversations with top Swiss chefs and their search for knives that fulfil the special requirements of gourmet gastronomy – both in terms of exclusive design and even more so in terms of outstanding and durable functionality. The solution arrived with sknife: Michael Bach combined his specialist expertise in the field of gastronomy knives and his many years of experience in the watch industry to create sknife: The brand has been shining at the highest level for 11 years now, thanks to Swiss craftsmanship. It finds complete expression in perfect precision, similar to that of watch mechanisms: each knife or pocket knife is unique, forged from the highest quality damask and surgical steel – a clear advance in knowledge drawn from the watchmaking and medical industries. As a result, a sknife knife is characterised by its high degree of hardness combined with resilience, optimum stability and corrosion resistance. Innovative details create a further link to the watch and jewellery industry – the high-tech ceramic sleeve bearing of the pocket knife, for example. Or the elegant band of 51 diamonds that adorns the case of the limited anniversary edition and turns the knife into a top-class piece of jewellery. It lies solidly in the hand with smooth, warm sleekness; the precisely ground, gleaming steel blade hidden inside like a secret treasure.
'Precision and perfection are in our DNA – sknife combines a high level of craftsmanship with the expertise of the Biel watchmaking industry.'
The service staff at the Hôtel du Cap in Antibes are delighted to be setting tables with the high-quality sknife cutlery from the Eden-Roc Riviera Collection, made exclusively for the hotel. Their enthusiasm is infectious: they love the elegantly flowing design, in which a lustrous midnight blue handle seamlessly embraces the continuous, gleaming polished surgical steel body. They love the unconventional position of the knife in which the cutting surface points downwards, allowing it to hover above the table without touching it. Guests will not only be fascinated by the exquisite look of the unique pieces, but will also marvel at the contribution they make to the enjoyment of their meal: the way the knife glides effortlessly through the meat, preserving its flavourful juices. The ease with which a millefeuille pastry can be sliced without affecting its artistic layers. For this luxury hotel on the Côte d’Azur, the exceptional quality of the corrosion-free damask steel, unperturbed by daily use in the salty sea air, is particularly important. People have known about the exceptional high-quality of sknife for a long time: of the 146 three Michelin star restaurants worldwide, 25 already lay their tables with sknife. Anyone dining at Franck Giovannini’s Chefs Table in the Hôtel de Ville in Crissier or in Sven Wassmer’s restaurant Memories in Bad Ragaz, for example, does so with curated sknife knives. At the same time, the brand is attracting ever more private enthusiasts: the elegant designer knives from the Swiss manufacturer are also appreciated in discerning households or on private yachts.
'When developing specific design lines, we immerse ourselves in the individual theme worlds and customise the cutlery.'
Whether it is steak, oyster or cheese knives, special knives for vegetarian dishes or knives for dried meat: each of these masterpieces undergoes 40 steps of elaborate and precise craftsmanship during production, which takes place entirely in Switzerland. While the steel is made to glow over brightly blazing flames, brought together in layers, hammered and forged in Emmental, the specialists in Neuenegg take care of processing the local walnut and ash wood from which the handles are made: using a special process that is unique in Switzerland, they achieve the highest level of resilience, preserving their natural grain, surface texture and shape. The company is delighted to fulfil special requests for colours, surface textures or engravings: blue water, warm white ivory, turquoise fish scales, elegant stone grey or a fascinating glass look; precisely colour-coordinated with the interior or with the logo integrated as delicately lasered lettering – nothing is impossible. The knives receive their final scintillating touch in Biel: this is where the final honing of the blade takes place by hand before the elegant masterpieces are embedded in their sustainable packaging and transported to their destinations in Europe, the USA, the Caribbean or Asia. To maintain the quality of the knives, sknife has developed its own sharpening device, which helps return the knives to perfect sharpness when required, as well as a high-quality care oil for the handles. sknife is the epitome of knife art at the highest level – from Switzerland, for the whole world.
'We give our best every day with heart and passion to fulfil the highest quality standards and create knife craftsmanship.'
