Rotary Watches: A Company History

By:
Written by Scott Lucas. Visit our website: Rotary Watches

In 1895, the Rotary brand was invented. With family at the heart of his business Moise Dreyfuss opened his factory in the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds, one of the largest cities in the French speaking district of Switzerland. Even till this very day the company claims that watch making is still “a family affair".

One of the main reasons for the success of the business was a keen eye for quality and value, resulting in phenomenal growth over the next 25 years. In 1925, Rotary Watches expanded to realms of business it had never experienced when Georges and Sylvain Dreyfuss opened an office in Britain to import the family watches. The company continued to grow, and in 1925 they introduced the now famous Rotary logo, the "winged wheel", which portrays everything the rotary brand stands for.

With the outbreak of the Second World War, Rotary was appointed as official watch supplier to the British Army. The Rotary brand was now cemented firmly in history. Soon enough, Rotary became a household brand. Still recognized for quality and value, Rotary continued to expand.

The current chairman of the company, Mr Robert Dreyfuss, is the fourth generation to have a hand in the family business and remains the chairman as of the present day. Without forgetting the Swiss roots of the brand, Mr Dreyfuss officially opened the new head office at Regent Street in London at the start of the new millennium. Meanwhile in Switzerland, the brand has relocated to larger premises at Neuchatel.

Today Rotary still is at the pioneering forefront of watch development. In 2005, Rotary announced the Dolphin Standard, a standard bestowed on watches which show a high level of water resistance, allowing the wearer to swim and dive while wearing the watch. Recently, Rotary has also won several awards including jewellery supplier of the year in 2002 and 2003.
Business and Finance
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 

» More on Business and Finance