Swatch has to apologize for controversial advertising

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• A Swatch advertising image has been sharply criticized in China.
• The reason: In the picture, an Asian male model imitates the "slit eyes" gesture.
• The company apologized publicly and removed all relevant materials worldwide.

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In an advertising image for the Swatch Essentials collection, an Asian male model pulled his eyes up and back with his fingers - a pose known as the "slit-eyed" gesture. The images were sharply criticized on the Internet in China, the Reuters news agency reported on Monday.

In an apology posted on the company's official Instagram account on Sunday, Swatch said it had "taken note" of the recent concerns and removed all relevant materials worldwide.

"We sincerely apologize for any upset or misunderstanding this may have caused." The message had also previously been posted on the Weibo social network in Chinese and English.

Heavily dependent on the Chinese market

Swatch, which also produces the Omega, Longines and Tissot brands, is heavily dependent on the Chinese market, but suffered a massive drop in sales there in the last six months.

The share of the China, Hong Kong and Macau region in the Group's total sales fell from 33 percent to 24 percent within 18 months. The Group anticipates a slight improvement in consumption in China in the second half of the year.