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The year is 1961: As it prepares for the legendary Apollo missions, NASA is looking for a wristwatch that can reliably withstand even the most extreme conditions. Nine years later, a tank on Apollo 13 explodes – the systems fail, and the crew barely survives. What this gripping story has to do with the Peanuts' iconic cartoon beagle, and how he made his way onto the dial of the Omega Speedmaster, only becomes clear on closer inspection. Here's the story of the Omega Snoopy!
Speedmaster – The Astronauts' Watch
No other watch is as closely tied to space exploration as the famous Speedmaster. Originally conceived as an instrument for racing drivers, it found its new calling with the start of the American Gemini and Apollo missions. Exactly how NASA selected the right model remains unclear to this day – did the manufacturers know about the search for the world's best timepiece or not? Most likely, watches from various brands were tested for shock resistance, functionality in zero gravity, and other criteria – and Omega's Speedmaster emerged as the winner.
Even before the first Moon landing in 1969, which earned the hugely successful model its famous nickname "Moonwatch," the chronograph had to prove what it could do. In 1962, it flew into space for the first time on the wrist of astronaut Walter Schirra, and three years later it was named NASA's official wristwatch. The famous images of the 1965 Gemini 4 mission, when astronaut Ed White ventured out on the first spacewalk, were likewise taken with the Omega on board.
In 1969, when Apollo 11 reached the Moon for the first time and the whole world was glued to the TV, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin relied on the precision of the Swiss watch – the high point of space exploration, but also of the Speedmaster. It had carried the name "Professional" since 1966, which was more than fitting given its many missions. To this day, the designation Speedmaster Professional can be found on the dials of the collection.
So What Does This Have to Do with Snoopy?
In the mid-1960s, NASA planned to launch a motivational program – the goal was to honor companies or individuals who made an outstanding contribution to advancing human spaceflight. To bring space travel, which often seemed remote from everyday life, closer to people, a well-known and nationally beloved character was to serve as mascot – Snoopy turned out to be ideal, especially since he already had flight experience (from the roof of his doghouse). And so the Snoopy Award was born.
Omega and Snoopy – this connection would probably never have come about without the dramatic Apollo 13 mission.
Commander Jim Lovell's radio message, "Houston, we've had a problem," referred to an enormous problem indeed: An oxygen tank had ruptured, knocking out power and water generation and making an abort unavoidable. To make matters worse, the astronauts were already 300,000 km from Earth at that point – and it was unclear whether a return to their home planet was even still possible.
The most dangerous phase of the return maneuver was reentry into Earth's atmosphere: Within a window of just 14 seconds, the spacecraft had to be steered correctly – otherwise it would have vanished into space forever, meaning certain death for the astronauts. Because the onboard electronics had already failed, the time was measured using the Omega Speedmaster – its precision played a key role in saving the crew's lives and helped avert the worst possible disaster. For this, Omega received the Snoopy Award, and the brand still celebrates this achievement today with special editions commemorating the moving 1970 mission.
The Legend Lives On – with the Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award
For the 45th anniversary in 2015, the luxury brand presented the "Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award," a tribute to the Apollo 13 mission. Its attention to detail fully honors both space exploration and the cartoon hero. On its dial, the black-and-white masterpiece asks "What could you do in 14 seconds?" – a reminder of the capsule's perilous reentry. At the small seconds subdial at 9 o'clock sits a tiny Snoopy – coated with a special Super-LumiNova, he glows strikingly in the dark.
The Speedmaster's signature tachymeter scale on the bezel is also easy to read at night.
The 925 sterling silver caseback is a work of art in its own right: It features a silver medallion of the Silver Snoopy, whose features were hand-engraved. A special manufacturing process accelerates the oxidation of the silver so that it takes on its characteristic color right away. Black enamel powder serves as the background, providing excellent contrast to the silver medallion and, thanks to a touch of silver dust, giving off a magical shimmer.
Technically, the 2015 special edition delivers everything you would expect from a high-end chronograph: Caliber 1861 offers mechanics at their finest, while the artful dial is protected by ultra-scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. Only the finest materials are used: The case, crafted from polished and brushed stainless steel, is extremely robust, as is the ceramic bezel. As NASA's history shows, this combination withstands all the hardships of space and fascinates watch enthusiasts around the world. And anyone who knows the story of Omega and Snoopy knows that this iconic model has already saved at least three lives. Which proves that watches can be heroes, too.