Kitzbühel, Austria - Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger auctioned off a €270,000 ($293,547) watch at a charity on Thursday evening to benefit climate initiatives, according to the climate group he founded.

The minimum bid for the watch that Schwarzenegger owns was €50,000 ($54,403), and the proceeds from the auction are to be donated to climate projects.

The sale was preceded by exchanges with customs officials earlier in the week.

On Wednesday, the Austrian actor was detained by customs at Munich airport when he arrived in Germany. Customs staff accused him of not having declared the watch, even though it was apparently supposed to remain in the EU.

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After about three hours, the actor was able to continue his journey and was also allowed to take the watch to the auction.

Schwarzenegger agreed in Munich to pay customs duty on his personal watch.

He cooperated at all times, "even though it was an incompetent investigation, a total comedy of errors, but one that would make a very funny police movie," the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative said.

The actor also planned to attend the Hahnenkamm ski race in the village of Kitzbühel in the Austrian Alps.