Seized Watches Had ‘LGBTQ’ Inscription, Swatch Denies Accusations

Swatch has denied accusations that their 2023 Pride Collection contains any LGBTQ wordings.

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The Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) confiscated Swatch watches recently due to the presence of the letters ‘LGBTQ’ on the watch, an acronym which represents lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals.

According to Berita Harian, Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail claimed the watches of the same model with the LGBTQ wording are not available for sale in countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He added that the reason these models were not sold in those countries were because Swatch is aware of the religious sensitivities in those countries and chose not to sell such watches there.

He also noted that KDN only took action based on public complaints regarding the watches with the LGBTQ wording.

KDN raided 11 Swatch shops on May 13 and 14 located in shopping malls such as Pavilion KL, 1 Utama, Sunway Pyramid, Mid Valley Megamall, and Suria Sabah. These raids specifically targeted Swatch’s “Pride Collection.”

However, in certain locations such as Alor Setar, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, Johor Bahru, and Kuching, five shops were issued warnings and not subjected to further action.

In a report by Malay Mail, Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek stated that the watches confiscated by the Malaysian Ministry did not include any indication or reference to the LGBT community.

He disputed the claim made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who said that the watches were seized due to their connection to LGBTQ elements.

Hayek asserted that there were no references to the LGBTQ community on the watch dials.

The home ministry has yet to return the watches that were seized during the raid.

In response, Hayek announced that the company would initiate legal action in order to retrieve the confiscated “Pride Collection” watches.

Additionally, it was also reported that Swatch Malaysia offered evidence to support their claim that watches from their 2023 Pride collection, which did not contain any LGBTQ wording, were seized by KDN during the recent raids.

They provided a link to their website displaying the collection and shared photographs to substantiate their statement.

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