It’s official, Omega has announced the a new Snoopy Speedmaster. No one would have expected in 2003 that things would have taken off so well for the Beagle-linked chronograph after the little demand the original Snoopy Speedmaster received, but following the success that the Snoopy II brought when it was released in 2015, it’s no surprise that Omega would try to capitalize on the huge interest among many collectors.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission, Omega will release the Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award” 50th Anniversary or, as I like to call it, the “Snoopy III”. Luckily, the watch takes most of its design cues from the Snoopy II and not the first iteration of the watch. Both this version and the second come in at 42mm in diameter and feature light dials with contrasting bezel inserts. The Snoopy II had a black insert, whereas the III has a blue ceramic insert which is then engraved and filled with five layers of white enamel to create the tachymeter scale. Unlike the white dial of the II, the III has a laser-engraved “Ag925” just north of the hands stack, designating that it instead uses a silver dial.
Compared to the previous iteration, missing is the tired Snoopy on the left chronograph sub dial saying “Failure Is Not An Option!”, as well as the “What Could You Do In 14 Seconds?” that appeared in conjunction with special markings for the first 14 sections of the chronograph hand’s seconds track. Instead, for the Snoopy III, the old Snoopy has been traded in for a new one which is created out of a silver medallion. At the 9 o’clock subdial is a fully silver Snoopy as he appears on NASA’s Silvery Snoopy Award. Previously, this version of Snoopy was reserved for the case back, but things have sure changed for the Snoopy III.
Turning to the back of this watch, there is no traditional case back. Instead we have a depiction of the moon in the foreground and an Earth disc in the distance. The Earth disc is connected to the same mechanism as the seconds hand, so it too will rotate fully every 60 seconds. What’s interesting is that Omega found another way to incorporate Snoopy here: when you activate the chronograph, Snoopy will eventually emerge from behind the moon and fly around the back of the watch in his command module. I say “eventually”, because Omega has timed it so that once the chronograph is started, Snoopy will be above Earth exactly 14 seconds after timing has commenced. This is, of course, in reference to the 14 seconds of fuel burn (which was timed by a Speedmaster) that allowed the astronauts of Apollo 13 to maneuver their command module properly, avoid disaster, and return home safely to Earth. This is the same event that was referenced on the upper right quadrant of the Snoopy II with the “What Could You Do In 14 Seconds?” text. Additionally, embossed on the back of the blue nylon fabric strap that the watch comes on is a depiction of Apollo 13’s flight path.
The watch is powered by Omega’s METAS-certified Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 3861. The manually-wound movement beats at 3Hz, is resistant to up to 15,500 gauss, and has a power reserve of 50 hours. With the watch comes a unique presentation box as well as a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty for the watch.
What partially distinguishes this from the previous Snoopy renditions is the fact that it will not be a limited edition model. Having said that, while not confirmed, many assume that Omega won’t produce the model for more than a few years in order to still retain some level of exclusivity in light of the massive success that is the Snoopy II. This way, when (and I guess, technically, if) the Snoopy IV comes around, interest will still be extremely high. I think it’s safe to say we can expect a new Snoopy Speedmaster every five years max going forward.
The Omega Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award” 50th Anniversary is priced at 9,600 USD.
You must log in to post a comment.