Swiss watchmaker Swatch has issued an apology and pulled ads featuring images of an Asian male model pulling the corners of his eyes up and backwards in a “slanted eye” pose after facing severe backlash on social media platforms worldwide.
The images for the Swatch Essentials collection were widely condemned online in China, where many comments said they appeared to mimic racist taunts about Asian eyes. The controversy has quickly spread beyond China’s borders, creating a global public relations nightmare for the Swiss luxury brand.
The Scale of the Social Media Storm
The controversy has garnered more than 2.6 million impressions on Weibo, China’s X-like social media platform. Chinese users were quick to express their anger, with many calling the gesture deeply offensive and demanding immediate action from the company.
Internet users slammed the “slanted eye” gesture made by the Asian male model as racist and launched widespread calls for boycotts of Swatch products. The backlash was swift and intense, forcing the company to respond within days of the controversy breaking.
Swatch’s Response and Financial Stakes
Facing mounting pressure, the Swatch Group sought to “sincerely apologise for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused” in statements posted to Instagram and China’s Weibo on Saturday. The company also immediately removed all related materials worldwide.
The timing of this controversy couldn’t be worse for Swatch. Swatch, which also makes Omega, Longines, and Tissot watches, generates around 27% of its revenues in the China, Hong Kong, and Macau region. Even before this incident, the company was struggling in the Chinese market.
Financial Impact and Market Challenges
Revenue for the watchmaker last year slumped 14.6% to 6.74 billion Swiss francs ($8.4 billion) in 2024, hit by a downturn in demand in China. The situation has gotten even worse this year, with the group reporting an 11.2% drop in net sales for the first six months of the year, with the slump being “exclusively attributable” to sluggish demand in China.
Why This Matters for Global Brands
This incident highlights the growing importance of cultural sensitivity in global marketing campaigns. The “slanted eye” gesture has long been recognized as a racist stereotype used to mock people of Asian descent, yet it somehow made it through Swatch’s approval process.
Many Chinese netizens questioned how such an image cleared the company’s internal review, raising serious questions about the brand’s quality control and cultural awareness training.
Not an Isolated Case
Swatch isn’t the first foreign brand to face accusations of racist advertising in China. Other international companies have faced similar controversies in recent years, showing that this is an ongoing challenge for global brands operating in diverse markets.
The Bigger Picture
For American consumers, this controversy serves as a reminder of how quickly brand reputations can be damaged in our connected world. What happens in one market can instantly affect a company’s global image, especially when social media amplifies the message.
The Swatch incident also shows how important China has become for luxury brands. With nearly a third of Swatch’s revenue coming from the region, the company simply cannot afford to alienate Chinese consumers.
As brands continue to expand globally, they must invest more in cultural training and diverse review processes to avoid such costly mistakes. In today’s world, a single offensive image can undo years of brand building and cost millions in lost sales.
