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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Swatch’s Racism Controversy Ticks Up Growing Challenges

The Swiss watch giant is under fire for an ad depicting an Asian model pulling their eyes into slits — sparking outrage in China, its biggest market. The backlash comes as tariffs, a strong franc and weak demand weigh on the watch industry like rarely before.
An Omega storefront in Chongqing, China.
A Swatch Group-owned Omega storefront in Chongqing, China. (Getty Images)

For a watchmaker, Swatch Group has terrible timing.

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Further Reading

End Times for Swiss Watchmakers?

This week, President Trump’s tariff on Switzerland went into effect, landing levies of 39 percent on every watch the country exports to the US. For some Swiss watchmakers, the threat is existential.

About the author
Simone Stern Carbone
Simone Stern Carbone

Simone Stern Carbone is Luxury Correspondent at the Business of Fashion. She is based in Zurich and Paris and covers fashion and beauty, with a focus on the dynamic luxury sector.

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