diff --git a/kubernetes_asyncio/watch/watch.py b/kubernetes_asyncio/watch/watch.py
index 324f0f465..fbc04270a 100644
--- a/kubernetes_asyncio/watch/watch.py
+++ b/kubernetes_asyncio/watch/watch.py
@@ -93,7 +93,9 @@ def unmarshal_event(self, data: str, response_type):
         # not send a conventional ADDED/DELETED/... event but an error. Turn
         # this error into a Python exception to save the user the hassle.
         if js['type'].lower() == 'error':
-            return js
+            obj = js['raw_object']
+            reason = "%s: %s" % (obj['reason'], obj['message'])
+            raise client.exceptions.ApiException(status=obj['code'], reason=reason)
 
         # If possible, compile the JSON response into a Python native response
         # type, eg `V1Namespace` or `V1Pod`,`ExtensionsV1beta1Deployment`, ...
diff --git a/kubernetes_asyncio/watch/watch_test.py b/kubernetes_asyncio/watch/watch_test.py
index 99738207a..7ea9edc34 100644
--- a/kubernetes_asyncio/watch/watch_test.py
+++ b/kubernetes_asyncio/watch/watch_test.py
@@ -157,14 +157,15 @@ async def test_unmarshall_k8s_error_response(self):
                 'kind': 'Status', 'apiVersion': 'v1', 'metadata': {},
                 'status': 'Failure',
                 'message': 'too old resource version: 1 (8146471)',
-                'reason': 'Gone', 'code': 410
+                'reason': 'Gone',
+                'code': 410
             }
         }
 
-        ret = Watch().unmarshal_event(json.dumps(k8s_err), None)
-        self.assertEqual(ret['type'], k8s_err['type'])
-        self.assertEqual(ret['object'], k8s_err['object'])
-        self.assertEqual(ret['object'], k8s_err['object'])
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(
+                kubernetes_asyncio.client.exceptions.ApiException,
+                r'\(410\)\nReason: Gone: too old resource version: 1 \(8146471\)'):
+            Watch().unmarshal_event(json.dumps(k8s_err), None)
 
     def test_unmarshal_with_custom_object(self):
         w = Watch()