KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 — Umno deputy minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan today denied he has ever worn a Rolex watch, claiming instead that he prefers wearing Swatch because it is “cheap and looks nice”.

The Umno man first took to Twitter to issue the denial, saying the claim that he owns a Rolex Submariner that costs between RM30,000 and RM40,000 is untrue and likely the work of the opposition.

“Fitnah! Ini kerja pembangkang! Saya tak ada Rolex Submariner & tak pernah memakainya. Jam saya yg biasa saja,” he wrote on the microblogging site.

[Translation: Lies! This is the work of the opposition! I do not own a Rolex Submariner and I’ve never worn one. My watch is an ordinary one]

Later, Ahmad told The Star Online that the picture posted by MyWatch chief R. Sri Sanjeevan on Facebook shows him wearing a Swatch and not a Rolex as alleged.

“I wear a Swatch, which only costs me around RM400 to RM500 only. I like it because it is cheap and looks nice.

“I did not wear Rolex in that photo. I never wore Rolex in my entire life,” he was quoted saying in the news portal’s report.

Sanjeevan, an anti-crime activist, had last week published several photographs showing a number of politicians sporting what he claimed were luxury brand watches on their wrists.