At 1 PM, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, the news hall was illuminated by camera flashes.
After signing the contract, Matthew voluntarily stepped back, allowing Cindy Crawford, who had also completed the signing ceremony, to first complete the exchange of contracts with Rolex's marketing director. After the two shook hands, Matthew then stepped forward, first shaking hands with Rolex's marketing director, and then exchanging the contracts they held.
This was Rolex's global brand ambassador signing ceremony held in Los Angeles. Since Roger Federer was participating in the French Open, only Matthew and Cindy Crawford were present at the signing ceremony.
From early June, Helen Herman had been representing Matthew in final negotiations with Rolex. After multiple rounds of discussions, this collaboration was finally reached.
As Helen Herman had previously mentioned, Rolex signed a five-year contract with Matthew, with a total endorsement fee of $15 million. However, after negotiations, Helen Herman also secured another right for Matthew.
This total endorsement fee of $15 million does not include television commercials. If Rolex wishes Matthew to film TV commercials, additional compensation will be required.
The scope of endorsement stipulated in the contract primarily covers print media advertisements, and Matthew is required to wear a Rolex watch at events such as red carpets, the Oscars, or other media occasions. Rolex will provide him with a full range of high-end watch products.
To Matthew's knowledge, Cindy Crawford's contract was similar to his.
After exchanging contracts, Matthew and Cindy Crawford stood in front of Rolex's giant logo, allowing the media to take photos.
Subsequently, the two also briefly accepted interviews, mostly expressing their pleasure in collaborating with Rolex.
The signing ceremony quickly concluded, and Matthew and Cindy Crawford did not linger in the news hall. They immediately went up one floor to the Four Seasons Hotel, entering their respective temporary dressing rooms to prepare for shooting Rolex print advertisements.
The reason for compressing everything into one day was mainly due to Matthew's request. He had other matters to attend to and was scheduled to go on location to Dominica with the film crew in a few days, making his schedule very tight.
Fortunately, Helen Herman had sufficient prior communication with Cindy Crawford's agent. Additionally, Cindy Crawford had met Matthew once before, and Matthew had helped her daughter, so Cindy Crawford had no major objections.
After getting his makeup done, changing into a dark men's formal suit, and putting on a classic Rolex Submariner watch, Matthew was led by a staff member into the newly arranged temporary photo studio next door.
This was originally a large conference room at the Four Seasons Hotel, which had been temporarily converted into a photo studio by a professional team hired by Rolex to shoot Matthew and Cindy Crawford's print advertisements.
Since women's makeup takes longer, the photography team first shot Matthew's individual print advertisement.
Matthew stood in front of the backdrop, following the photographer's instructions, striking various poses. The primary focus during the shoot was the Rolex watch on his left wrist. After completing a set of photos, he would, with the assistance of his assistant, change into a brand new Rolex watch and continue shooting the next set.
"A little to the left, a little more to the left." Standing in front of a backdrop resembling a black starry sky, the photographer continuously adjusted Matthew's posture through the camera lens, "Raise your left hand a little higher, a little more, turn the watch face towards the lens."
Listening to the photographer, Matthew patiently adjusted his posture, striking a pose like a thinker in the dark night.
"OK! Hold for five seconds!"
The photographer adjusted the camera lens and continuously pressed the shutter button to take photos.
At the entrance, Cindy Crawford, accompanied by her assistant and a little girl, walked in and followed a staff member to an area away from the shooting zone.
"Huh…" The little girl looked towards the shooting area, blinking her curious eyes for a while, then hesitantly asked, "Mommy, have we seen that person before?"
Cindy Crawford pulled over a chair, first helped the little girl sit on it, then pulled another chair and sat beside her, saying, "Don't you remember, Kaia? We saw him at the art gallery."
The little girl scooted forward, letting her legs dangle from the chair, and said, "I remember now, I met him when I was playing hide-and-seek with Mommy."
Cindy Crawford reached out and pinched her daughter's cheek, "Kaia is so smart."
Just then, a staff member walked over. Cindy Crawford knew it was her turn to shoot, so she said to her daughter, "Kaia, Mommy needs to work now, will you stay with the auntie?"
The little girl nodded, answering very seriously, "Okay, Mommy."
Cindy Crawford gave a few instructions to her assistant and then followed the staff member to the shooting area.
Matthew saw Cindy Crawford and nodded to her, "Hi, Cindy."
Cindy Crawford smiled slightly, "Hello, Matthew."
The two briefly exchanged greetings and immediately got into work mode, striking some classic male and female duo poses under the photographer's direction.
Of course, the main focus was still on showcasing the Rolex watches on their wrists.
After only a few poses, Matthew noticed that despite having largely retired from the runway, Cindy Crawford's aura was still powerful. Perhaps print photography was a model's basic skill; he felt himself gradually being suppressed by Cindy Crawford's presence and couldn't help but become fully focused.
"Relax, trying too hard will make your body stiff."
During a break in shooting, Cindy Crawford quietly reminded him, "Try to get back to a natural state, just pretend I'm not here."
Matthew nodded gently, "Thank you."
Compared to a supermodel like Cindy Crawford, his experience in shooting print advertisements was severely lacking.
The shoot continued, and perhaps Cindy Crawford's reminder had an effect, as Matthew's state noticeably improved. This kind of duo print advertisement is completely different from solo shooting, and the excellent state of a work partner can easily influence those around them.
Although Cindy Crawford was already thirty-nine, she remained beautiful and sexy. Probably due to proper maintenance, she didn't show her age like traditional Western women, and her almost perfect figure and skin still made her look like she was in her twenties.
Even now, she is still one of the most exposed cover girls in the world, appearing in fashion magazines far more often than other models.
The former five supermodels were renowned globally: Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista created the pinnacle of the modeling industry. Even though Matthew isn't particularly knowledgeable about the modeling industry now, he knows that the Victoria's Secret Angels cannot compare to the five supermodels at their peak.
Perhaps Gisele Bündchen, in the future, reached the heights of the five supermodels at their peak.
Of course, while he admired her, Matthew had no other intentions towards Cindy Crawford. She was thirty-nine years old and had a stable marriage.
Just like with Diane Kruger, he wouldn't destroy someone else's marriage. There were plenty of women in Hollywood and the modeling world; why take such a risk that would severely damage his reputation?
A playboy might evoke envy, jealousy, and hatred, but a third party would be scorned.
Angelina Jolie, even now when she appears in the media, her first impression is still that of a homewrecker, especially online. Without the film *Mr. & Mrs. Smith*, the number of people cursing Angelina Jolie is simply countless.
The shoot went very smoothly. Before 4 PM, Matthew completed all his shots. Cindy Crawford still had to continue shooting her solo print advertisements.
These were only print advertisements for initial promotion, and the required quantity was relatively small. According to Helen Herman, if the print advertisements received a good response, Rolex would also add a TV commercial agreement for the two of them.
In the past, Rolex didn't use Hollywood stars for advertisements particularly often. Sean Connery, the first actor to play 007, was once a Rolex ambassador. Instead, sports celebrities served as Rolex ambassadors more frequently.
This is also related to Rolex's positioning. Besides the effect of a luxury brand, Rolex primarily focuses on durability and robustness.
Perhaps in many people's impressions, Rolex seems more like a watch for nouveau riche showing off, but there's a saying within Hollywood—there are only three types of watches in the world: Patek Philippe, Rolex, and others.
Matthew walked towards the exit and, passing the rest area, saw a familiar child.
"Hi, Kaia." He remembered this was Cindy Crawford's daughter. "We meet again."
The little girl waved to a woman who looked like an assistant nearby. When the assistant extended her hand, helping her jump off the chair, she said in a childish voice, "Hello, I remember you. We met at the art gallery."
Matthew couldn't help but squat down, reaching roughly the same height as the little girl, and said, "Yes, we met at the art gallery. You've grown taller since then."
"I'm four years old now," the little girl said, putting her hands behind her back and swaying, "Of course I've grown taller."
Matthew laughed, reaching out to ruffle the little girl's curly hair, but halfway, he realized it wasn't appropriate and quickly pulled his hand back, saying, "Hmm, you'll definitely grow as tall as your mom."
He had noticed during the shoot that Cindy Crawford, wearing eight-inch high heels, was almost as tall as him.
"Thank you," the little girl appeared very well-behaved and polite.
"You're welcome," Matthew replied politely, slowly standing up. "I should go now. Goodbye, Kaia."
The little girl waved, "Goodbye."
After Matthew left, he first went to the temporary dressing room to remove his makeup, then drove back to Horner Manor to see Charlize Theron. They didn't have much time left together. According to the tacit understanding reached by several parties, he and Charlize Theron were about to break off their engagement.