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Why Snoopy deserves his place on the Omega Speedmaster

Why Snoopy deserves his place on the Omega Speedmaster

Snoopy and Omega have always had a very close and interesting connection. So far, Omega has released 3 different Snoopy editions, each one more impressive and more sought after than the last one.

But why? Why does a titan like Omega put a cartoon character on their dials, and why Snoopy? Why not the Simpsons or Garfield? (Off the record, how cool does a Garfield Speedy sound!)

Timex also uses Snoopy on their watches. Is there a link between Omega and Timex, or is this a mere coincidence? Let’s find out!

Why is he on there?

The Snoopy on the Omega watches doesn’t represent the cartoon figure, but it represents the prestigious Snoopy award. The Snoopy on Timex has nothing to do with this award, they just want to make funny looking watches.

Omega received the ‘Silver Snoopy Award’ from NASA in 1970, the highest honor one can receive while working on a space program. The award is only given to a NASA employee, supplier or individual who has delivered an outstanding effort or contribution for space exploration. Omega received the honor because of the events that occurred at the Apollo 13 mission.

Mid-flight, an oxygen tank of the Apollo 13 capsule exploded. This explosion knocked out most of the electrical supplies on board. The astronauts lost most of their navigation equipment, and the blast blew them way off course. In other words: they were floating in space with no idea where they were going. This is where their Omega watches played a big role. All their electrical equipment and radars were down, but the mechanical gears in their hand-wound Speedmasters worked just fine.

The crew used their chronograph to time the ignition of the rockets to get the capsule back on the right course. This was a tricky job, since overtiming or under timing would result into the crew missing earth and flying into eternity. Once the crew was close to earth, the chronograph was once again used to time the ignition of the rockets to slow them down.

The astronauts all got out without a scratch, all thanks to their Omega Speedmasters.

Because of the important role Omega played during this unfortunate event, Nasa gave Omega a Silver Snoopy award to recognize the importance of the Speedmaster, especially on the Apollo 13 mission.

So far, Omega has released three Snoopy editions to celebrate and commemorate their award and the role they played in saving the mission and the astronauts’ lives. Which one is your favorite?