Short answer
The Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary is one of the hardest modern Omegas to copy well. Its defining feature sits under a sapphire caseback: Snoopy in a command module, a rotating Earth disc, and the Apollo 13 detail that drives the whole design. Most replica versions hand you a closed steel back with that scene printed flat, an automatic movement where a manual wind belongs, and a case that measures thicker than the original. When you compare replicas, judge the caseback, the movement, and the crystal first. Everything else is secondary.
What the original is
NASA created the Silver Snoopy Award in 1968. The sterling silver pin goes to people who contributed to flight safety or mission success, and Omega received one in 1970 for the Speedmaster role in bringing Apollo 13 home. The crew used the chronograph to hand time a mid course correction burn after the oxygen tank failure, then used it again for the entry checklist.
The anniversary watch carries that story. Omega built it in a 42 mm stainless steel case around a manual wind Co-Axial Master Chronometer caliber 3861, with a display caseback showing a moving Snoopy and a rotating Earth disc. The dial, bezel, and hands follow the Moonwatch layout with finish changes that are easy to fake badly and hard to fake well.
Why a copy falls short
- The caseback. The animation is a mechanical assembly, not a print. Any replica with a closed back or a static graphic is a different watch pretending to be this one.
- The movement. The genuine watch is manual wind with a smooth winding feel and a specific beat rate. Many replicas use an automatic movement, which adds a rotor you can hear and a thicker case.
- Proportions. Case height, lug shape, and crown guard profile change once a different movement goes inside.
- Print quality. Subdial text, the tachymeter scale, and the applied markers show doubling and soft edges under magnification on cheap builds.
How to check a replica before you buy
- Ask the seller for a short video with the watch running and the caseback in frame. Watch for movement in the disc or the Snoopy figure.
- Confirm the movement type in writing. A manual wind caliber is correct here. An automatic rotor is not.
- Request the case thickness in millimeters and compare it to the 42 mm case diameter. A fat case is the fastest tell.
- Ask for macro photos of the dial at 10x. Look at the subdial rings, the marker edges, and the tachymeter scale.
- Check the crystal edge and the bezel insert material. Look for a printed scale instead of an insert with depth.
- Inspect the clasp, end links, and strap stitching in the same photos. Weak finishing here usually matches weak finishing everywhere.
- Read the return policy before payment. If returns are refused on opened watches, walk away.
Defects that should end the deal
- Closed caseback with a decal or engraving of the Snoopy scene.
- Automatic movement and a rotor visible through any opening.
- Case thickness well above the original spec.
- Blurred, doubled, or misaligned dial print.
- Subdials spaced too far apart or too close to the center.
- Seller claims the watch is genuine Omega.
What a replica cannot give you
A replica is not a genuine Omega. There is no factory warranty, no Omega service center support, and no collector value. The Apollo 13 history belongs to the real watch, and no copy carries that provenance. Buy a replica as a visual tribute, use it on your own wrist, and never let anyone sell it to a buyer as the real thing.