ZURICH (Realist English). Swiss watchmaker Swatch has apologised for a promotional image featuring a model making a “slant eye” gesture, after the campaign drew strong criticism across Chinese social media for perpetuating an offensive stereotype.
In statements released on Instagram and China’s Weibo platform on Saturday, the Swatch Group said it wished to “sincerely apologise for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused.” The company added it had “immediately removed all related materials worldwide.”
The advertisement, part of a men’s watch collection, quickly became a flashpoint online. On Weibo, an influencer with more than one million followers described the campaign as “racism towards Asians,” while another said it was “terrible to disgust Asians and degrade Chinese” at a time when the global watch industry is under pressure.
Users on RedNote, a popular Chinese platform, echoed the outrage. One commenter wrote: “Slanted eyes are an insulting gesture pointing to Asians made by the whites.” Others called for a boycott, questioning how such an image could ever be linked to product promotion.
The controversy also spread to Reddit, where a thread on r/swatch was titled: “Swatch ad uses gesture with offensive cultural stereotype – how did this get approved?” The post read: “For a global brand in 2025, it’s surprising (and disappointing) that no one flagged this as potentially culturally insensitive before publishing it.”
China remains one of the most important markets for luxury brands, but also one of the most challenging. International companies have repeatedly faced backlash over culturally insensitive portrayals, sometimes leading to boycotts. In recent years, Dior and Dolce & Gabbana have both apologised for controversial campaigns in China.
The backlash comes at a difficult moment for Swatch. The group, which owns brands including Omega, Blancpain and jeweller Harry Winston, reported last week a 7.1% drop in first-half sales compared to 2024, with operating income plunging to 68 million Swiss francs ($84 million) from 204 million francs. The company said the decline was “exclusively attributable” to China, including Hong Kong and Macau.
Despite the setback, Swatch expressed optimism about a recovery in the second half of 2025, citing early improvements in e-commerce sales and inventory reduction at retail outlets.
