Swiss luxury watch brand Audemars Piguet welcomed Arnold Schwarzenegger at the June 23 grand opening of its U.S. flagship boutique and the launch of its limited edition Royal Oak Offshore Terminator 3 Chronograph.

On hand to represent the brand were Georges-Henri Meylan, president of Audemars SA, the parent firm, Francois-Henry Bennahmias, president of North America, and Jasmine Audemars, chairperson of Audemars Piguet.

A highlight of the evening was a live auction, conducted by Schwarzenegger—a long-time connoisseur of Audemars Piguet watches—and Richard Brierley of Christie’s auction house, of limited edition items from Schwarzenegger’s new movie, “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” opening July 2nd nationwide.

The auction raised $400,000 to benefit the Inner-City Games Foundation. Auction items bid on by the guests included four Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Terminator 3 chronographs, part of a very limited number created specifically for the movie by the luxury Swiss watchmaker. Also auctioned were an Indian Chief T3 limited edition motorcycle, a T3 pinball machine by Stern Pinball, Inc., a T3 humidor designed by Daniel Marshall and other items.

Audemars Piguet is the oldest haute horlogerie Swiss watchmaker still in the hands of its founding families and holds a number of world firsts in complex watch mechanisms.

The Inner-City Games Foundation provides opportunities for inner-city youth to take part in sports, educational, cultural and community enrichment programs in order to build confidence and self-esteem and discourage gangs, drugs and violence.

JCK