- Swatch apologised and removed an advertisement featuring an Asian model with a slanted eye gesture
- The ad was criticised in China for mimicking racist taunts and prompted boycott calls
- Swatch said it deleted all related promotional material worldwide following concerns
Swiss watchmaker Swatch has apologised and pulled down an advertisement featuring an Asian male model with a 'slanted eye' gesture.
The promotional images were part of the Swatch Essentials collection and widely criticised in China, where many said the poses mimicked racist taunts about Asian eyes and called for a boycott on social media.
In a post on Instagram, Swatch said that it took "note of the recent concerns regarding the portrayal of a model" and deleted all related promotional material worldwide. "We treat this matter with utmost importance," they added.
"We sincerely apologise for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused," the statement read.
Swatch is a well-known Swiss watch brand famous for its colourful, stylish, and affordable watches. It was founded in 1983 by Ernst Thomke, Elmar Mock, and Jacques Muller during the "quartz crisis," when cheap battery-powered watches from Asia threatened traditional Swiss watchmaking. The name "Swatch" comes from "second watch."
Swatch Group also owns Omega, Longines, and Tissot. China, Hong Kong, and Macau together accounted for around 27 per cent of the group's sales last year.
The watchmaker has been facing challenging market conditions in China. Revenue for 2024 fell 14.6 per cent to 6.74 billion Swiss francs (approximately Rs 736 crore), as demand weakened across the region. Swatch cited "persistently difficult market conditions and weak demand for consumer goods overall" as key reasons for the downturn, Reuters reported.
In July, Swatch reported an 11.2 per cent drop in net sales for the first half of 2025, attributing the slump exclusively to slow demand in China.
Swatch is not the first international brand to face backlash in China for racially insensitive advertising. In 2018, Dolce & Gabbana faced heavy criticism for videos showing a Chinese model struggling to eat Italian food with chopsticks.
In 2023, Dior caused outrage with an ad with a model pulling up the corner of her eye.
