Swiss watchmaker Swatch has successfully challenged the Malaysian government over the seizure of 172 watches displaying LGBTQ-inspired designs. The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the watches were confiscated in May last year without a warrant and mandated their return within 14 days.

Swiss watchmaker Swatch won a suit against the Malaysian government on Monday after a court ordered the return of 172 Swatch watches that were seized last year due to designs that authorities said bore LGBT elements.

A total of 11 Swatch outlets all over the country were raided last year. Nine different designs from the Pride Collection were seized with a total amount of seized watches adding

The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the rainbow-themed timepieces were illegally confiscated from mall stores last year.

A court ruled the government, which said the watches had "LGBT elements", did not have authority to seize them.

A Malaysian court has ordered the government to return dozens of Swatch watches seized by authorities over their designs celebrating LGBTQ pride. The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday ruled that the Ministry of Home Affairs should return the 172 rainbow-themed watches after finding that they had been seized illegally without a search warrant.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court has ordered the Home Ministry to return the 172 Swatch watches, worth US$14,545, within 14 days of Monday’s court ruling.

A Malaysian court ordered the government on Monday to return rainbow-coloured watches and accessories made by Swatch Group that were seized last year for designs celebrating LGBTQ rights, a prosecutor told Reuters.

The Malaysian government has been ordered to return hundreds of watches, made in the different colours of the rainbow, after seizing them for containing “LGBT elements.” A court in the Southeast Asian country ordered the government to return them to Swiss watchmaker Swatch after they were seized in May 2023.