The Victorinox SwissChamp was introduced in 1985 as the premium model in the line-up. It added pliers to the Champion Plus model which had been the biggest Swiss Army Knife before.
The SwissChamp is still the biggest regular model, although a couple of even bigger SAKs have been available, like the SwissChamp XLT, XXLT and XAVT. Those are considered collector’s pieces while the SwissChamp is actually usable on an everyday basis.
The Champ has evolved a little since its introduction in 1985. For example, in 1991 the multi purpose hook was added to the scissors layer and in 2007 the magnifying glass and Phillips screwdriver were redesigned. Also, the metal file was changed in 2005 and is now a stainless steel, grinded one. Some of the differences between older and newer models can be seen in the pictures. More info on the 91mm tool evolution can be found on SAAM’s website.
Great iconic knife. A dream when I was a kid (the SwissChamp did not exist, but it was rhe Champion then) and now that I own it, it is still somewhat magical.