Swiss watchmaker Swatch apologizes for ad showing gesture seen as racist

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GENEVA (AP) — Swiss watchmaker Swatch apologized Monday for an ad campaign that upset consumers in China and elsewhere and said it had “immediately removed all related materials worldwide.”

In an image for the Swatch Essentials collection, an Asian male model is shown pulling the edges of his eyelids upward and backward with his fingers — a gesture seen as derogatory and racist, Swiss public broadcaster SRF reported.

The image triggered criticism on social media in China, with major influencers weighing in.

Swatch wrote on Instagram that “we sincerely apologize for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused.” It said it would “treat this matter with the utmost importance.”

SRF reported that the apology was also posted on the Chinese social network Weibo in Chinese and English.

China is a major market for luxury brands and watchmakers. The founders of Dolce&Gabbana apologized on video in 2018 after Chinese boycotted its products over what were seen as culturally insensitive videos promoting a runway show in Shanghai.

Swiss watch exporters are facing new tariffs in the U.S. and a prolonged slowdown, with significant declines in the United States, Japan and Hong Kong, according to industry association figures.