This is the one we (almost) predicted on our Monochrome-Watches blog. We were 90% sure that Omega Replica Hour Vision would come with a new edition of the Snoopy Speedmaster Professional. The one we imagined, however, is quite far from this new Omega Replica Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award ref. 311.32.42.30.04.003. Using the iconic Speedy Pro base, it brings not only a new dial but also several little details that will definitely create a proper collectible edition.
Before we go into what is new in this Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award, let’s first look at what hasn’t changed. The base of this limited edition (1.970 pieces) is THE classic Omega Speedmaster Professional a.k.a Moonwatch, meaning a 42mm chronograph made in both polished and brushed stainless steel, with a 3-counter layout and deploying the Omega Caliber 1861. Technically speaking, Omega has adhered to nearly the same (and totally superb) recipe since 1965. A Snoopy Award edition of the Speedmaster isn’t a novelty, as Omega introduced a first version (made in 5441 pieces) in 2003 – that showed a patch with Snoopy sketched in the sub-counter at 9 and a specific caseback.
For Baselworld 2015, Omega is coming with a new edition that celebrates the 45th Anniversary of the unfortunate Apollo 13 mission. Why Snoopy though? “On April 17, 1970, the world watched as the Apollo 13 Command Module landed in the Pacific Ocean after an unexpected crisis occurred 200,000 miles away from Earth. The mission was aborted and the astronauts completed a number of mid-course corrections in order to achieve the trajectory that would allow them to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. Both the Apollo 13 crew members and Omega Replica Constellation received the Silver Snoopy Award (a NASA mascot) in recognition of its contributions to the entire Apollo program.”
The 2015 edition of the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award shows a black & white color scheme and several details that recall the space mission and the award. The dial shows a white background with black inscriptions and hands. The indexes are luminous white plots with top cavities filled with black varnish. The small-second sub-counter at 9 o’clock shows the NASA mascot Snoopy saying “Failure is not an option”.
Something else is also highly noticeable: on the 14 seconds scale starting from 0 is written “what could you do in 14 seconds?” – a reference to the length of the thrust the astronauts needed to achieve in order to set the module on its orbit. The bezel is also specific to this Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award edition. Even if it might look similar to the classic Moonwatch, this one is made of Polished black ceramic [ZrO2] with a Super-LumiNova tachymeter scale.
The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award also comes with a dedicated caseback. Protected by a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal is a 925 silver medallion that resembles the pin that accompanied the Silver Snoopy Award that OMEGA received in 1970. The silver Snoopy is mounted on a plate of the same material and is surrounded by dark blue enamel.
Finally, the strap of this new Speedmaster Snoopy differs from the one found on the classic edition; this one has a black coated nylon fabric strap with white stitching, reinforced around the holes and featuring a foldover clasp. The Omega Replica Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award will be produced in a limited edition of 1,970 pieces with the reference 311.32.42.30.04.003. Price is to be revealed soon.