Home Ministry also seized watches without 'LGBT', says Swatch Malaysia

Swiss watchmaker Swatch has clarified that Malaysian authorities not only seized watches bearing the letters "LGBT" but also confiscated watches from its 2023 Pride collection that did not carry the term.

Swatch Malaysia has addressed news reports implying that the Home Ministry's confiscation of Swatch watches was exclusively based on the inclusion of the term "LGBT".

However, the company stated that only one of the confiscated watches featured the term, while the others did not have any reference to it.

“In relation to the recently published news stating that all confiscated Swatch watches bear LGBT wording, Swatch Malaysia does not agree with the statement.

“The concerned watches are from this year’s collection and do not bear any LGBT wording on the dial, strap or case.

“The only watch confiscated with LGBT wording is from last year’s collection,” it said in a statement.

Swatch's 2023 Pride collection, according to information available on its website, consists of six watches, each representing the individual colours of the LGBT community’s six-striped Pride Flag.

Additionally, the minute hand of each watch is adorned with a word that elucidates the meaning behind every coloured stripe in the Pride Flag.

It is worth noting that none of these designs incorporates the letters "LGBT".

Malaysiakini has contacted Swatch Malaysia to seek additional clarification regarding whether both collections were seized simultaneously by the ministry earlier this month.

Yesterday, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the letters “LGBT” were clearly found on the dials of the confiscated Swatch watches.

The minister said similar watch models were not sold in countries such as the United Arab Emirates.

Swatch had earlier said there were no references to the LGBT community on the watch dials that were confiscated by Malaysian authorities.

The watches were seized from Swatch stores on May 13 and 14, allegedly for violating the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA).

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