How Crostars Told the Longines Pioneer Story Across the Shanghai Sky
On September 25, 2020, hundreds of Crostars drones lifted off above the Bund in Shanghai. The occasion was the launch of the Longines Pioneer collection. The show was designed to tell the story behind the watch — not just display a logo.
The Brief: Launch a Watch Collection Above the Bund
Longines approached Crostars to produce a drone light show for the Pioneer collection’s China debut. The creative brief had a clear direction: use aerial formations to bring the collection’s identity to life. The Pioneer series draws on a spirit of exploration — adventurers, early aviation, and the drive to push forward.
Crostars’ design team took flight and adventure as the central inspiration. The result was a narrative performance. Each formation advanced the story, moving from the brand’s heritage to the collection’s defining imagery.
A Show Built Around the Pioneer’s Story
The show opened with a three-dimensional hourglass. It rotated 180 degrees as light “sand” fell through it. Then it flattened into the winged hourglass — Longines’ classic emblem. A pair of wings merged with the hourglass form. The logo resolved clearly in the sky above the river.
Behind the emblem, a rotating globe emerged. Then came three interlocking gears — a reference to the movement inside the watch. After the gears came the watch itself. A model of the Pioneer appeared in formation. Its hands were shown turning.
The finale built on the collection’s aviation theme. A large biplane formed in the sky. Its propeller rotated. The plane moved forward. Then it shrank down and passed through the outline of an oversized watch. The message was direct: the Pioneer spirit never stops.
What the Audience Saw
The sequence closed with the Longines wordmark spelled out in full. The drones held the formation over the Huangpu River with the Pudong skyline behind them. From the Bund, the scale was significant. The Oriental Pearl Tower sat within frame for most of the show.
Drone light shows work at this scale because the sky is the canvas. There are no venue walls, no stage constraints. The Longines show used that space to run a full narrative arc — something a billboard or a screen cannot do. Learn more about how Crostars approaches creative shows on the About Us page.
Why the Bund Was the Right Stage
The Bund is one of the most photographed locations in China. Any show performed there reaches two audience members at once: the people watching in person and the people who see the footage afterward. For a luxury brand launch, that secondary reach matters.
The Longines show generated organic sharing across social platforms. The aerial footage — shot from above the river — captured the formations against the full Bund backdrop. It traveled well beyond the live audience.
The coordination required for a show of this complexity runs on Crostars’ C5 System. Precise formation sequencing at this density, timed to a brand narrative, is what the system is built for.
If you’re planning a product launch or brand activation and want to explore aerial storytelling, contact us to discuss what a drone show could do for your campaign.