Arnold Schwarzenegger's Customs Arrest Drives Up the Price of His Ultra-Rare Luxury Watch

The other day, as he'd just landed in Munich, Austria, in preparation for the third iteration of the World Climate Event, Arnold Schwarzenegger was detained in customs over unpaid taxes over a personal watch he was carrying – and planning to sell at auction at the charitable event. According to reports, he'd failed to declare the luxury watch ahead of his arrival, which is mandatory for items valued over €430 ($470) if they're to be sold within the European Union.

As per the same reports, the watch in question was an Audemars Piguet timepiece that the actor said the watchmaker had designed especially for himself. Customs estimated it at €26,000 ($28,300), and Arnold ended up paying €9,000 ($9,800) in taxes and fines for it.

He'd tried to argue that planning to auction it for charity would invalidate the need for tax, but the customs officers were having none of it.

Schwarzenegger was detained for more than 3 hours, leaving for Kitzbühel, where the charitable dinner event was held, vocally disappointed in the impromptu welcome party.

By the time he took the stage at the event, which benefited the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, he'd turned the incident into material for a couple of off-hand jokes about being put in handcuffs and hiding a second watch in the infamous where-the-sun-don't-shine part of his anatomy.

More importantly, though, the incident brought even more attention to the charity event, which, in turn, drove up the price of the watch.

Fresh details show that the timepiece was more valuable than the initial estimation – and even more rare. It wasn't a one-of-1,500 example of the 1999 Royal Oak Offshore Arnold Schwarzenegger The Legacy, but a one-of-20 variation of the 2023 AP Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph.

Designed with Schwarzenegger, the original Selfwiding Chronograph was a 500-unit limited issue based on the 1999 AP watch the actor wore in the movie End of Days. He'd co-designed that one, too, so yes, Schwarzenegger and Audemars Piguet go all the way back.

The variation that the actor brought to auction is limited to just 20 examples and features a customized caseback, including the phrase "Arnold Classic" and a gold engraving of Schwarzenegger doing his most famous bodybuilder pose. Bidding for it started at €50,000 ($54,400) and went all the way to €270,000 ($293,500).

The AP watch and other items on sale, like a one-on-one training session with Schwarzenegger, a day on the set of a movie, or a private living room concert by The BossHoss, raised more than $1.3 million for various climate awareness and activism causes.

The Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative called the customs incident "an incompetent shakedown." All things considered, the phrasing "awesome publicity" is better suited.