Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award, Speedmaster White Side of the Moon and the new Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon collection: Black Black, Sedna Black, Pitch Black and Vintage Black @ Baselworld 2015

The Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award

The Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award pays homage to the unforgettable mission 45 years ago and celebrates the teamwork, quick thinking, ingenuity and courage that brought Commander Jim Lovell, Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise home safely.

This are two official Omega pictures …

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. Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the Apollo programme and the third that was intended to land on the Moon – a goal that was dashed when one of the two oxygen tanks on the Service Module exploded on route. 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.

A closer look at the timepiece shows that Snoopy, the beloved dog from the Peanuts cartoon and a NASA mascot, decorates the dial and the case back – a small tribute to the NASA Silver Snoopy Award that Omega was presented with in 1970 in recognition of its contributions to the entire Apollo programme.

The dial of the Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award, inspired by the black and white comic strips printed in newspapers, is at once recognisable as the inverse of its legendary predecessor. The white dial contrasts the black-varnished Moonwatch-style hands and the polished black ceramic bezel, which features a Super-LumiNova tachymeter scale. Super-LumiNova is also found on the central hour, minute chronograph seconds hands and on Snoopy.

A small image of a sleeping Snoopy painted on the dial with Super-LumiNova is positioned in the small seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock and it appears as if he is dreaming of the token phrase that is often used in association with the mission.

This limited edition timepiece features two inscriptions that decorate the dial. Fourteen small squares between zero and 14 seconds on the dial come together to form a long comic strip, with the words “What could you do in 14 seconds?” written underneath. The question is a nod to the 14-second mid-course correction that the Apollo 13 astronauts timed with their on-board back-up timing device: the Omega Speedmaster.

At the centre of the dial is the quote: “Failure is not an option.” Actor Ed Harris who played Apollo 13 Flight Director Gene Kranz in the 1995 film about the historic mission, Apollo 13, spoke the inspiring words.

Among the most interesting features of the timepiece is its case back. 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. Silver powder is sprinkled by hand over the enamel of each individual case back, giving the impression that Snoopy is floating in space. “SILVER SNOOPY AWARD”, “EYES ON THE STARS”, “45^TH ANNIVERSARY”, “0000/1970” and “APOLLO XIII” are engraved in the stainless steel case back in black.

The 42 mm stainless steel timepiece is combined with a black coated nylon fabric strap with white stitching and a fold over clasp. The Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award will be produced in an edition limited to 1,970 pieces.

The watch is powered by the calibre 1861, the same manual-winding chronograph movement that powered the legendary Moonwatch.

The Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award is offered with a full two-year warranty and is water resistant to 50 metres / 167 feet.

>>> Discover the Omega Speedmaster ‘57 revisited on page 4 >>>