Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzengger made headlines after he was detained for about three hours by Customs officers at Munich Airport in Germany on Jan 17 for failing to declare an expensive Audemars Piguet watch.
Specially made for the 76-year-old star of the Terminator film franchise (1984 to 2019) by the luxury Swiss watchmaker, the bespoke watch was due to be auctioned off for a fund-raising dinner on Jan 18 evening in aid of his eco charity, the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative.
With an opening bid of €50,000 (S$73,000), the 43mm black ceramic Audemars Piguet Arnold Classic Watch ended up fetching €293,000 (S$427,000) at the auction held at Stanglwirt resort in Austria.
Pleased with the results, Schwarzenegger cracked jokes about his detention in Munich, saying Customs officers tried to look for a second watch but failed because he had hidden it “where the sun don’t shine”.
According to the Bild daily, the American-Austrian actor was charged €35,000, including €4,000 in tax and €5,000 in penalty for not declaring the prized Audemars Piguet.
Known for his love of timepieces, the retired bodybuilding icon and former governor of California has had several collaborations with Audemars Piguet over the years. It began with a limited-edition Royal Oak Offshore (Reference 25770SN), which he wore in the 1999 action horror film End Of Days.
In an interview with several publications, including The Straits Times, in Dubai in 2023, former chief executive Francois-Henry Bennahmias – who left the brand in December 2023 after 30 years – told the story of how the End Of Days collaboration came to be.
“We were having lunch at Arnold’s office in Malibu – he was supposed to buy watches. There were watches on the table and he was supposed to choose. There were security guards around us, and he said, ‘What are we doing here? This is bulls**t. I don’t care about this.’
“And I said, ‘Are you shooting a movie?’ He said, ‘Yes. End Of Days.’ And I said, ‘Could we do something where you put the watch in the movie? We will create a special edition and we will raise money for a foundation.’ And he said, ‘I love this. Okay.’ That was how the whole thing started,” said Mr Bennahmias.
The collaboration fuelled a craze for the Royal Oak Offshore which has not abated. Since then, there have been more than 10 collaborations between the watchmaker and the action star, including the T3 (2003), All Stars (2007) and The Legacy (2011).
In 2023, Audemars Piguet released the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph End Of Days, which pays tribute to the original released in 1999.
