Photo: Weibo

Swiss watchmaker Swatch apologized on Saturday for promotional image featuring "slanted eyes"—a gesture widely regarded as offensive to Asians. The company said at the Instagram that we have taken note of the recent concerns regarding the portrayal of a model in images for the Swatch ESSENTIALS Collection. 

We treat this matter with the utmost importance and have immediately removed all related materials worldwide. We sincerely apologize for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused, the Swiss watchmaker said.

Swatch has come under fire for a promotional image featuring "slanted eyes". The photo depicted a male model making an exaggerated "slanted eyes" expression, a racial stereotype considered derogatory toward East Asians.

Swatch's apology was also posted on Saturday via the company's official account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese social media platform.

The photo could not be found on Swatch's official Chinese website.

According to an official Weibo account of "News Eye" under Sichuan Radio and Television Station on Friday night, a set of advertisements released by Swatch featuring an image of "slanted eyes" have sparked controversy among Chinese netizens. 

Many Chinese netizens and bloggers have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the alleged Swatch's recent advertising image, questioning how a photo considered discriminatory against Asians passed the company's review process and was published. They are calling on the company to respond and issue an apology.

A watch blogger with the account name "ZZIPPY" questioned in a video posted on the popular Chinese social app "RedNote," or "Xiaohongshu" that: Anyone with experience in the industry knows that such an advertising image goes through multiple review meetings before publication. Could it be that no one in the company has raised question such picture will offend certain group of people before it published the picture on its official site?

An account with a handle "aibaoshidefulaoshi" wrote: As a Chinese watch user who has lived overseas for 23 years, I am extremely disappointed that Swatch's ad featured the "slanted eyes" gesture. This gesture carries racially discriminatory stereotypes in a Western context… I wait the company to apologize.

Previously, several well-known Western brands have faced backlash for "slanted eyes" imagery. 

In April of 2023, French fashion brand Dior again found itself accused of racial discrimination after it allegedly posted a photo of a half face of an Asian woman lifting her eye, which is widely regarded as "slanted eye" pose.

The photo, according to screenshots circulating online, showed only a half face of the Asian model with her two fingers stuck under her eye and another pulling up the corner of her eye.

Swatch Group, the company behind the controversial ad, is one of the world's largest watch manufacturers and distributors. In addition to its basic Swatch line, the group owns well-known brands such as Longines, Tissot, Omega, and Breguet.

Global Times