Hearst Magazines hosted the first-ever Swiss Watch VIP Welcome Reception last evening at the Venetian Hotel. The reception officially opened the invitation-only Swiss Watch by JCK Show, which is taking place June 3-7.

The reception, held in the hotel’s elegant Lutèce restaurant, brought together prestigious Swiss watch brands, VIP retailers, and some of the industry’s most influential editors, including many from Hearst Magazines, which publishes Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, House Beautiful, Smart Money, and Town & Country.

The featured guest was David Granger, Esquire editor-in-chief, who was named by Advertising Age magazine as the 2004 Editor of the Year. “Hearst Magazines and the Swiss Watch by JCK brands are both companies that focus on quality and luxury,” said Norman Miller, group advertising director, The Hearst Group. “Accordingly, it made perfect sense for Hearst to be the first magazine publishing company to partner with JCK to develop this landmark event. We are honored to be a part of such a momentous occasion.”

The Swiss Watch by JCK event features prestigious Swiss watch brands located in a special block of suites in the Venetian. It caters to some of the most exclusive retailers in the industry, who meet with them on an appointment basis. They include Gucci Group watches (joining the event this year for the first time), Baume & Mercier, Bulgari, Corum, Christian Dior, Concord, Ebel, Girard Perregaux, Harry Winston, Hermes, IWC, Mont Blanc, Piaget, Roger Dubuis, Swatch Group, TAG Heuer and Zenith.

“By all accounts, Swiss Watch by JCK has proven to be an overwhelmingly productive and much-needed business environment for the most important watch brands in the industry,” said Dave Bonaparte, vice president of The JCK Shows. “In creating even more improvements for 2005, JCK as an organization is thrilled that we can successfully serve the high-end watch category and deliver value time and time again to our equally impressive and extremely loyal retailer base.”

“It truly has been exciting to see how the Swiss Watch event continues to evolve and surpass industry expectations,” added Steve Kaiser, president of Kaiser Time and a consultant to Swiss Watch by JCK. “The tremendous response we continue to receive from both the watch brands and the select group of participating retailers is overwhelmingly positive. If anything, the strength and importance that Swiss Watch by JCK has garnered in its short three years of existence, is a testament to JCK as an organization being on the cutting edge of their customers needs.”

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