Operating apparatus for a functional device of a motor vehicle, having - a rotary actuator, which is mounted rotatably on a holding element and has at least one coding element (16, 18), - a detection device for detecting an absolute rotation angle between the rotary actuator and the holding element with the aid of a coding of the at least one coding element (16, 18), and - a latching device, by which a multiplicity of latching positions are defined for the rotary actuator along a rotation direction, wherein - the detection device is configured in order to detect the respective latching position and the absolute rotation angle between at least two of the latching positions with the aid of the coding of the at least one coding element (16, 18), and - the operating apparatus comprises a sensor device for detecting touching of the rotary actuator, and - a control device, which is coupled to the detection device and the sensor device and emits a control signal for operation of the functional device on the basis of the detected latching position, the detected absolute rotation angle between the at least two latching positions, and/or detected touching of the rotary actuator, wherein - the control device emits a respective latching control signal for each of the detected latching positions, and - the control device emits at least one intermediate control signal on the basis of the detected absolute rotation angle between the at least two latching positions, characterised in that - the control device emits a latching control signal irrespective of whether the sensor device detects touching of the rotary actuator, - the control device emits an intermediate control signal only when the sensor device detects touching of the rotary actuator, and - the control device detects the closest-lying of the latching positions with the aid of the detected absolute rotation angle, and emits the latching control signal for the closest-lying of the latching positions if the sensor device does not detect touching of the rotary actuator. - a rotary actuator, which is mounted rotatably on a holding element and has at least one coding element (16, 18), - a detection device for detecting an absolute rotation angle between the rotary actuator and the holding element with the aid of a coding of the at least one coding element (16, 18), and - a latching device, by which a multiplicity of latching positions are defined for the rotary actuator along a rotation direction, wherein - the detection device is configured in order to detect the respective latching position and the absolute rotation angle between at least two of the latching positions with the aid of the coding of the at least one coding element (16, 18), and - the operating apparatus comprises a sensor device for detecting touching of the rotary actuator, and - a control device, which is coupled to the detection device and the sensor device and emits a control signal for operation of the functional device on the basis of the detected latching position, the detected absolute rotation angle between the at least two latching positions, and/or detected touching of the rotary actuator, wherein - the control device emits a respective latching control signal for each of the detected latching positions, and - the control device emits at least one intermediate control signal on the basis of the detected absolute rotation angle between the at least two latching positions, - the control device emits a latching control signal irrespective of whether the sensor device detects touching of the rotary actuator, - the control device emits an intermediate control signal only when the sensor device detects touching of the rotary actuator, and - the control device detects the closest-lying of the latching positions with the aid of the detected absolute rotation angle, and emits the latching control signal for the closest-lying of the latching positions if the sensor device does not detect touching of the rotary actuator.