Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award Watches "Snoopy" (Call Me By My Name)
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award Watches
Apollo 11 is remembered as a monumental achievement, marking humanity's first steps on the moon. However, before that historic moment, Apollo 10 served as a pilot mission just two months prior (May 21, 1969 – May 24, 1969). The mission team, seemingly lighthearted, chose characters from the "Peanuts" comic strip as their communication codes. Snoopy, the inquisitive beagle, was tasked with scouting landing sites. The Lunar Module "Snoopy," piloted by Thomas Stafford, Eugene Cernan, and John Young, orbited the moon while the Command Module "Charlie Brown" followed. The mission was a success, establishing the space-faring beagle as the program's official "safety mascot."
Following NASA's success with the previous two missions, Apollo 13 became known as a "successful failure." What was intended to be another landing mission turned into a crisis when an oxygen tank exploded. With no other choice, the crew shut down the command module and retreated to the Lunar Module "Aquarius." The astronauts soon realized they could not land on the moon and that their chances of returning to Earth in the lifeboat they were inhabiting were slim. Using a "free-return trajectory"—relying on the moon's gravity to sling the spacecraft back toward Earth—was their only hope. Precise engine burns and course corrections were required to re-enter Earth's atmosphere for a landing in the Pacific Ocean. This is where the hero, Omega, finally enters the story. The Omega Speedmaster Moon watch worn by Jack Swigert had undergone rigorous precision testing and remained unfailingly accurate even in space. The "14 seconds" required to time their atmospheric re-entry relied on this watch. Beyond the genius calculations of ground control and the courage of the astronauts, this timepiece earned its place in history alongside a mission where "failure was not an option."
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Following this historic event, NASA established the Silver Snoopy Award to honor personnel and companies involved in mission success. As a brand that has supported space exploration for decades, Omega was awarded this honor. The OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Snoopy Eyes on the Stars Limited Edition 3578.51.00 was released in 2003, marking 33 years since the award was received, followed most recently by the 2015 edition marking the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission.
The "Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award Watch" features a chronograph dial depicting Snoopy lying on his back, along with the mission-inspired inscription "Failure is not an option." The dial also highlights the "14 seconds" timing marker. It comes in a 42mm stainless steel case with a white dial, a Super-LumiNova ceramic bezel, the 1861 manual-winding movement, and a caseback featuring dark blue enamel and a 925 silver Snoopy medallion. Only 1,970 pieces were ever produced.
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References
: https://schulzmuseum.org/traveling-exhibitions/rent-a-traveling-exhibit/to-the-moon/
: https://www.pbssocal.org/science/snoopy-has-been-working-with-nasa-since-the-late-1950s/
https://gizmodo.com/snoopy-the-astrobeagle-nasas-mascot-for-safety-1570066950
: https://www.pbssocal.org/science/snoopy-has-been-working-with-nasa-since-the-late-1950s/
: https://spaceth.co/apollo-10/
