Confessions Of A Collector – I'm Waiting For My Snoopy

Confessions Of A Collector – I'm Waiting For My Snoopy

For any collector out there, we all know the waiting is part of the game.

By Viviana Shanks
Contributor

Hey, it's me again, coming back with a second Confessions Of A Collector article. This time, I am waiting for my new Omega Speedmaster "Silver Snoopy Award" 50th Anniversary to arrive. The day it was announced, October 5th, 2020, I immediately called my retailer and put my name on the list.

The Beagle and I

While NASA and Snoopy’s story first started in the 1960s, when Charles M. Schulz began to draw the loveable beagle's adventures on the Moon. These comics featuring Snoopy's outer space exploits captivated America and forever established Snoopy as a symbol of adventure and exploration. Following this success, NASA selected Snoopy as the mascot of its safety program. He became the agency's safety watchdog, ensuring mission success.
 

Later on, NASA introduced the Silver Snoopy Award, with the beloved beagle in a spacesuit and sporting a dapper flying scarf. Since 1968, the Silver Snoopy Award has been presented by astronauts to NASA employees or private contractors in recognition for their significant contributions to human space flight safety or mission success. And on October 5th, 1970, the Silver Snoopy Award was presented to Omega.
 

Growing up in Switzerland, my fascination with Snoopy began when I was around 7, while I was on my weekly excursions with my best friend and her parents to McDonald's. Like any young lady of that age, my choice would always be a Happy Meal. The thought of having a fun meal AND get a toy was quite the event back then. And inside one of my Happy Meals was a pretty big Snoopy figurine in three parts that I had to put together.

The figurine showed Snoopy in different situations, and one of them was, of course, Astronaut Snoopy. I loved it so much that I made it my mission to collect as many as possible. And truth be told, I believe the figurines are still somewhere at my parent's house. Later on, I discovered Peanuts, and my fascination only grew with time. You could even go as far as attributing my passion for space to Snoopy.
 

When I developed my interest in watches, I immediately fell in love with the Omega Moon watch. I mean, is there anything cooler than an accessory that went to the Moon? Since then, I have always wanted to add a Speedmaster to my collection. Of course, I knew and loved the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 "Silver Snoopy Award" from 2015, but I was not ready to pay the secondary market premiums. And after parting with my birth year Speedmaster, I made it my mission to find an Omega that would fill the void my birthyear Speedmaster left.

Why I Love It 

There has been a lot of talk about the new Omega Speedmaster "Silver Snoopy Award" 50th Anniversary. Most of it compared this version to the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 "Silver Snoopy Award." In my opinion is that while there are some similarities, the new Omega Speedmaster "Silver Snoopy Award" 50th Anniversary should be judged independently.

Powered by the new Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 3861, this 42mm steel Speedmaster is anti-magnetic and Master Chronometer certified from the Swiss Federal Institute Metrology (METAS). This Speedmaster set the tone for subsequent Speedmasters such as the one Omega released earlier this January. Engraved on the back is October 5th, 1970, when Omega received the Silver Snoopy Award and a tribute to the Apollo XIII mission that same year.
 

The silver-white dial is paired with three deep blue counters. Inside the 9 o'clock counter, Snoopy is wearing his famous space suit, a perfect nod to the Silver Snoopy pin the Apollo 13 astronauts awarded to Omega. And at the very center of the silver dial, just above the hands, the Ag925 has been laser engraved.

While the silver and blue dial already tell a beautiful story, the part that I love the most is the caseback. At first glance, all you see is the beautifully detailed Moon set against the starry sky, the caption "Eyes on the Stars" printed above it, and a stunning view of the rotating Earth in the background. It is a striking scene, but nothing too exciting, that is, until you activate the chronograph. Then, Snoopy appears sitting on his Command and Service Module, his flying scarf looking fierce, orbiting around the Moon!  
 

To make a long story short, I immediately fell for this watch because of its NASA connection and how Omega encapsulated this story. I couldn't wait to place my order, and when I saw it in the metal for the first time back in November, I was reassured of my decision, this is the Snoopy watch for me!
 

What’s Next? 

Only time will tell when I will get the call from my retailer, but one thing is for sure, I intend to use the watch as an adventure timepiece. I plan on heading straight to Cape Canaveral and re-visiting the Kennedy Space Center. With a bit of luck, I might even witness the next SpaceX launch, as they are quite active at the moment. And while I love the nylon strap, I might switch to the white and blue Nato strap advertised on the Omega Website because it might look a bit more adventurous, and it looks really good with the Speedy too!
 

I (begrudgingly) acknowledge that it might be too late for me to become an astronaut, and I doubt that any of my doings will ever be worthy of a Silver Snoopy Award. Still, I believe that having this watch on my wrist would be a great conversation starter and give me the chance to instill a love of space and Snoopy in even more people.

Stay tuned!
 

(Photography by Liam O'Donnell)

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