In 1940, Rotary became an official watch supplier for the
British Army. Coinciding with the
Second World War and the drafting of huge numbers into the army, the move put a Rotary watch in almost every household in Britain, leaving a lasting impression of the
brand in the UK. In 2006, Rotary Watches was elected as one of the UK's "
superbrands", and has retained its place in successive years. The “winged wheel” Rotary
logo was first introduced in 1925 and has since undergone only minor changes in appearance. In addition to its traditional brand, the company also produces watches under the more exclusive "
Dreyfuss & Co" name. Rotary is a member of the
Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH. Rotary Watches' head office is now in the UK, and it is a wholly Chinese-owned company. Rotary offers a range of timepieces manufactured in Switzerland, together with a range of less expensive pieces made elsewhere, usually with movements from Japan which are then assembled in Japan or China. Rotary watches typically use either a
quartz or
automatic movement, and often feature what Rotary refer to as the "Dolphin Standard" (equivalent to at least
ISO 2281), meaning they are
water resistant and may be suitable for all-day swimming and diving. Unique to Rotary is the "Revelation" design of reversible watch, which features two distinct movements and
faces, allowing the wearer to change style at will or easily switch between two different
time zones. On February 19, 2025, the West Midlands-based watch company Peers Hardy Group signed an agreement with Citychamp to take control of design, manufacturing, and distribution for Rotary watches in the UK and internationally. Rotary watches published a blog titled "A New Chapter for Rotary" on their website on April 15 2025, and confirmed they had officially been purchased by Peers Hardy Group. ==Subsidiaries==