We had a 'sharpening wheel' when I was a kid. You pedaled it and sharpened the knife right in front of where you sat. There was a soup can with a nail hole in the bottom so water could dribble on the stone.
We only used it when we butchered, but you can bet the knives were sharp and like yours, some just disappeared. Those old dutchmen didn't buy good knives, they MADE them good.
My Dad had a stone in the kitchen, my younger son still has a set of stones to do my knives when they get blunt, appears he inherited my Dads fetish for sharp blades, he too is chef in his home.
Old blades were made to last, handles never came loose or wobbly either... Made them good, that is without a doubt.