Swiss watchmaker Swatch is in the eye of a storm, quite literally. The luxury watchmaker was forced to apologise and take down an advertisement that featured an Asian model pulling the corners of his eyes, after the image sparked backlash among Chinese social media users. The Chinese saw it as racist.
The gesture in the Swatch ad was criticised as offensive, with many pointing out that the “slanted eye” stereotype has historically been used to mock Asians, particularly people of Mongoloid origins.
As the controversy spread online, calls to boycott Swatch products grew louder in China.
In response, Swatch issued a statement acknowledging the concerns raised over the portrayal of the model.
On August 16, the company said it “sincerely apologize[d] for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused” and confirmed that it had removed all related advertising worldwide.
Despite the apology, many critics remained dissatisfied, accusing the brand of being motivated only by financial concerns.
On Weibo, influencer Mei Hua Long_MHL, who has 1.1 million followers, condemned the advertisement as “racism towards Asians”.
Another influencer, Nie Hua Xiong, with 1.23 million followers, criticised the ad as an attempt to “disgust Asians and degrade Chinese” at a time “when the watch industry is going downhill”.
Users also voiced anger on RedNote. Dylan, one commenter, stated: “Some people will say those who feel offended are fragile, but this is a different situation, slanted eyes are an insulting gesture pointing to Asians made by whites.”
Another commenter, You Ren Ray, said: “The first thing to do after feeling offended is to boycott [the brand], instead of contemplating whether the other party intentionally thought of doing something.”
A third user, Wai, questioned the value of the gesture in the ad, stating.
“Even if I don’t see racism [in the ad], there is no way to judge how this slanted eyes gesture can add value to the product, unless the move aims at getting attention with promotional effect for free.”
SWATCH SEES REVENUE DIP
China, Hong Kong, and Macau together account for about 27% of Swatch’s total revenue, though its sales in China have been weakening amid the country’s economic slowdown, according to Reuters.
Revenue dropped 14.6% in 2024 to 6.74 billion Swiss francs ($8.4 billion), with the company attributing the decline to reduced demand in China, where it reported “persistently difficult market conditions and weak demand for consumer goods overall”.
Swatch is also the parent company of luxury watch brands including Omega, Longines, and Tissot.
CONSUMER LED BOYCOTTS INCREASED IN CHINA
Consumer-led boycotts in China have become increasingly common in recent years, often in response to perceived cultural slights or political issues.
In 2021, global fashion labels such as H&M, Nike, and Adidas faced widespread boycotts in China after raising concerns over alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang.
Last year, some consumers also called for a boycott of Japanese retailer Uniqlo after the company stated it did not source cotton from Xinjiang.
Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana similarly faced a massive backlash in 2018, when a campaign video showed a Chinese woman struggling to eat Italian food with chopsticks.
Following the uproar, its products were removed from major Chinese e-commerce platforms, and the company was forced to cancel a fashion show in Shanghai after being accused of promoting racist stereotypes.
Swatch took down the “slant eye” ad and apologised. Brands do often tend to use controversy to gain the media and people’s attention, and Swatch might have attempted a shock campaign.
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