Hearst Magazines, publisher of Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, and Town & Country, will host the new Swiss Watch VIP Welcome Reception, June 2, for the invitation-only JCK Swiss Watch Show (June 3–7) in Las Vegas. The reception, also invitation-only, will be at Lutèce restaurant in The Venetian Hotel. A featured guest is Esquire editor-in-chief David Granger.

Randi Shinske resigned as president and chief executive officer of the luxury watch brand Ebel USA at the end of February after two years in the post. Her replacement is Steven Cohen, formerly head of Movado’s Canadian division. Prior to Ebel, Shinske held sales and management positions at Swatch and Damiani.

John Travolta, movie star and pilot, appears this year in a new global ad campaign for Breitling, the Swiss luxury sport and pilot’s watch, the first time it’s used a celebrity. The ad runs in aviation and national magazines, like Men’s Health, GQ, and EliteTraveler. Travolta, certified on eight types of planes (including jumbo jets), has over 5,000 flying hours. The ad, shot at his Florida home’s private runway, shows him wearing a Breitling Navitimer.

The watch and jewelry business of French luxury goods firm LVMH showed “a return to profitability” in 2004, it says. All brands’ sales growth outpaced their markets, with business “particularly remarkable” in the United States and Asia. Specifically cited were TAG Heuer, Zenith, Chaumet and Dior watches, including its first men’s watch. Net income of all divisions rose 40 percent to $1.01 billion euros, an LVMH first.