Arnold Schwarzenegger Wears Vintage Rolex Following Customs Incident in Munich

Industry Pulse News Desk · 2026-09-20

Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was recently seen wearing a vintage Rolex watch after a tax dispute with German customs officials in Munich.

Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was recently seen wearing a vintage Rolex timepiece, drawing renewed public focus to his extensive high-end watch collection following a brief detention by customs authorities at Munich Airport.

German officials held Schwarzenegger in January after he failed to declare a custom Audemars Piguet wristwatch upon arrival. The piece was brought into the country to be auctioned for charity. Customs officers detained the former governor for roughly three hours while calculating tax penalties and import duty fees before allowing him to proceed to a scheduled environmental fundraiser in Austria.

Following the resolution of the administrative dispute, Schwarzenegger appeared at public events wearing a vintage Rolex Submariner. The appearance underscored his continued interest in rare and historical timepieces, a passion that has spanned several decades of his acting and political career.

Schwarzenegger has long been recognized as a prominent collector within the luxury horology market. Over the years, he has partnered with several top-tier Swiss watchmakers to design specialized, heavy-duty limited-edition models bearing his name, and at one point he considered launching an independent watch brand.

The custom watch at the center of the Munich customs inquiry was eventually put up for bid as planned at his charity gala, generating several hundred thousand dollars to support environmental initiatives.