Arnold Schwarzenegger Learns Obscure European Watch Laws

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California and one of the most recognizable actors on the planet, found out firsthand that laws apply equally to everyone traveling in Germany when he was detained at the Munich Airport for nearly three hours this week.

Schwarzenegger was traveling to the Austrian ski resort of Kitzbühel where a private event was being held for The Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative. The Governator, The Terminator, whatever you want to call him, was traveling with an Audemars Piguet watch for the auction that included the box and papers for the luxury timepiece and this is what tipped off the alarms at the airport.

If he was wearing the watch and didn’t have the box and papers, it wouldn’t have been an issue. German authorities believed that the watch was intended to stay in Germany, as it was bound for auction, thus it was subject to declaration and taxation at customs.

Ultimately, Arnold Schwarzenegger was held by German Customs authorities at the Munich Airport for over two-and-a-half hours. He was also forced to pay up a €4,000 tax (based on the value of the watch) and a €5,000 penalty for not declaring the item, according to BILD who was first to report on the situation.

Thomas Meister, a spokesman for the Munich Main Customs Office, told BILD “We have initiated criminal proceedings under tax law. The watch should have been registered because it is an import. If the goods remain in the EU, you have to declare them through customs. This applies to everyone, whether their name is Schwarzenegger or Müller, Meier, Huber.”

We reached out to a representative for Mr. Schwarzenegger, who I interviewed several years ago for one of his numerous projects, but have yet to hear back about the specific model of Audemars Piguet that Schwarzenegger was traveling with for the auction.

Schwarzenegger did share a picture from the detention while the money was being sorted out and he seemed to be in good spirits. Eagle-eyed watch enthusiasts did notice that in that picture Mr. Schwarzenegger was wearing an Audemars Piguet of his own.

In the photo shared by Arnold Schwarzenegger, he can be seen wearing an Audemars Piguet rose gold Royal Oak Offshore. Fratello Watches speculates that it may even be the “the impressive ref. 26470OR” AP.

Arnold would have made it out of the situation sooner but the Customs agents reportedly had trouble with their credit card machine and he wasn’t traveling with bags of cash to foot a $9,771.80 bill. Ultimately, they figured out a method of payment and he was able to move along.