A.h. Riise and Rolex
Our History
The A.H. Riise Company is a private, family owned business rich in family history and tradition.
In 1834, a young Danish pharmacist, Albert Heinrich Riise, engaged at the Royal Military Apothecary in Copenhagen, was approached by representatives of the Danish government and offered the opportunity to establish the first officially recognized pharmacy in the thriving port of St. Thomas. In June 1840, the Danish Government officially appointed Albert Heinrich Riise as the exclusive pharmacist for the island and granted him monopoly status to produce alcohol. This monopoly was given in exchange for Riise's obligation to give medicine to the poor without charge. A special relationship has existed between this company and the people of St. Thomas ever since.
During the 1870s and 1880s, A.H. Riise Apothecary continued to flourish under the direction of Albert Heinrich Riise's sons, Valdemar and Karl. At the turn of the century, the firm passed into the hands of the Poulsen family who still operate A.H. Riise Denmark in Copenhagen. In 1928, the family of the present owners, who had begun settling in the Virgin Islands in the 1890s purchased the business of A.H. RIISE & CO.
ROLEX AT AH RIISE
In 1998 AH Riise became an Official Rolex Jeweler. To highlight the brand, AH Riise opened a premier stand-alone Rolex Boutique in St Thomas in 2012, and in 2019 opened an additional boutique in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
GENERATION OF RETAILERS
While there have been many changes at A.H. Riise over the past 187 years, the operation of A.H. Riise remains with the third and fourth generations of Paiewonskys and Cassinellis, who continue the tradition of quality, integrity and service.
