The ad, which appeared in Glamour magazine, has earned Accurist a rap on the knuckles from the Advertising Standards Authority, which has upheld a complaint that it was "likely to cause serious or widespread offence".
The watch ad featured a photograph of a naked woman reclining in a wooden chair with her hair barely concealing her right breast. Her left hand was draped over her stomach, with her fingers resting just above her crotch. Below the image, the ad's copy read "Me time". The complainant felt that the ad portrayed masturbation.
Accurist has agreed to amend the ad, removing the model's left hand from the photograph to clear it of any association with masturbation. The ASA has welcomed the advertiser's decision to amend it.
Last September, Accurist moved away from its controversial approach to advertising to promote its Greenwich Commemorative range of watches.
Hwever, in 2001 the ASA ruled against Accurist about an ad it claimed portrayed a child beauty pageant contestant in a "suggestive, sexual way".
By far its most controversial ad was its "Put some weight on" campaign, which featured a emaciated woman wearing her watch on her upper arm rather than her wrist. The ad was condemned by the ASA as "irresponsible".
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