Swatch under fire in China over ‘slant eye’ ad

What happened: Swatch ad sparks boycott calls Swiss watchmaker Swatch has become the latest foreign brand to stumble in China over cultural sensitivities. The company issued a public apology on Instagram and Weibo on Saturday after an advertisement for its Swatch Essentials line featuring an Asian male model pulling the corners of his eyes sparked accusations of racism. The gesture, widely seen in East Asia as a derogatory caricature of Asian features, triggered a wave of online criticism, trending under hashtags such as “Swatch China official website no longer shows slant-eye photos” with 23.6 million views on Weibo, and “Swatch responds to ad eye gesture,” with 9.8 million views, at the time of writing. Swatch quickly removed the campaign globally, acknowledging the “concerns over the model’s image” and expressing “sincere apologies for any offense or misunderstanding caused.” However, anger persisted online. Many netizens believed that the apology was insensitive and insincere. Weibo user @Can’tbethesame, wrote: “Can that be called an apology?” Many called for a boycott of the group’s brands including Longines, Tissot, and Blancpain. The brand also issued its official apology statement on Instagram, but even there it failed to resonate with users. New York-based @catherinedhenry_official comments under the post: “What were you thinking? No excuses; this is horrible! It doesn't take an Asian person to see how deeply racist this is. Unforgivable!” Boycott could worsen Swatch’s slumping sales Another trending hashtag, “Swatch can no longer sell in China,” with 22.75 million views, captured the growing frustration among Chinese consumers. The controversy comes at a difficult moment for Swatch Group. China remains one of its largest markets, contributing 27% of group revenue in 2024, despite sales falling 30% year-on-year. In H1 2025, net sales dropped 11.2%, weighed down by weakness in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia, where demand depends heavily on Chinese travelers. Wholesale revenue in China slid more than 30% amid store closures, while direct retail sales fell 15%. The Jing Take: Cultural oversight gaps persist This is not the first time a global luxury brand has misstepped in China with advertising imagery. Dolce & Gabbana’s 2018 campaign showing a Chinese model awkwardly eating Italian food with chopsticks prompted calls for a boycott. Dior faced criticism in 2023 when an ad showed a model making a similar eye gesture. Swatch’s swift apology and global removal of the ad shows it learned from previous controversies, but China’s heightened scrutiny of cultural representation leaves little margin for error, especially for missteps as glaring as this one. With sales already under pressure, the incident risks further eroding trust, especially as related hashtags rack up millions of views. The episode underscores a persistent blind spot: insufficient cultural oversight in global marketing. Historical sensitivities, combined with real-time social media amplification, mean what may be overlooked in Europe or the U.S. can trigger rapid, widespread outrage in China. Shutting down the comment section may mute immediate criticism, but it cannot erase the reputational damage. For luxury players reliant on Chinese consumers, stronger local review processes are essential risk management. For Swatch, the challenge now is whether it can rebuild confidence, not only in entry-level lines, but across a portfolio including Omega and Breguet. In a cooling luxury market, reputational missteps can be costlier than sales shortfalls. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

Tone-deafness costs Swatch dearly

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Tone-deafness costs Swatch dearly