Rotary

Moise Dreyfuss started Rotary in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1895. Within a generation his sons Georges and Sylvain had opened a London office and begun exporting to Britain, which turned out to be the decision that defined the company: Britain became, and remains, Rotary's most important market.

The winged wheel logo arrived in 1925 and has barely changed since. It became familiar enough in British high streets that the brand is widely taken for British, despite the Swiss origin.

Rotary supplied watches to the British Army, and the wartime and post-war association gave it a foothold in a market where an affordable, dependable Swiss watch was exactly what most buyers wanted.

The family held the company for over a century, making it for a long time the oldest family-owned Swiss watchmaker still trading. Ownership passed to Hong Kong's Citychamp in 2014, and in February 2025 to the UK's Peers Hardy Group.

The modern range sits at the accessible end — quartz and automatic dress watches, divers and chronographs, with the Henley, Windsor and Legacy lines carrying the collection.

Rotary holds 200 models, from £76 to £349. Half cost less than £169, and a quarter less than £139. 39 of 200 are automatic. 19 are stocked by more than one retailer, giving 219 offers in total. Prices are checked nightly against the retailers’ own feeds.

1895

Founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds by Moise Dreyfuss.

1920s

Georges and Sylvain Dreyfuss begin exporting to Britain.

1925

The winged wheel logo is introduced.

2014

Acquired by Citychamp after more than a century in family hands.

2025

Bought by the UK's Peers Hardy Group.