In 1893 DUNHILL was established. It came to be considered one of the most luxuriously appointed shops in London. Luxury goods were obtained from the best European sources, including Vienna, France, Italy, Spain and Bohemia, before the outbreak of the Second World War. The range of different products available gave rise to the motto “there’s always something new at dunhill’s”.

In November 1933 the New York store moved to the British Empire Building in the Rockefeller Centre on 5th Avenue. dunhill occupied five floors of the building in total, selling a selection of merchandise including stationery, playing cards, picture frames, diaries, cocktail sets and bar accessories.

Mary dunhill, originally trained as a hairdresser and later, as chairman of the company pioneered a cosmetics and fragrance range in the USA in the early 1930s, including a fragrance called Escape which was introduced in 1943. Her success led to the introduction in 1934 of the first dunhill men’s fragrance, “dunhill For Men”. Retail sales in London in the mid-1930s were influenced by three big events. The Silver Jubilee of George V & Queen Mary, the funeral of George V and the Coronation of George VI. Royalty, rulers, Indian princes, politicians, diplomats, stars of stage & screen from Europe and America all passed through dunhill. It was also at this time in 1935-36 that the original dunhill faceted wristwatch was introduced. This unique style of watch has now become the signature style of the dunhill timepiece collection, recognised the word over.