Welcome to Dialed In, Esquire's column bringing you horological happenings and the most essential news from the watch world.
Omega and Swatch have been on an absolute tear lately. First there was the auction-only collection of “Mission to Moonshine Gold” MoonSwatches, which batched all eleven of the special watches into eleven exclusive briefcases—each dedicated to a city around the globe—that were put on the block by Sotheby’s, raising more than $600K for charity. Then, at long last, there was the white-dial Moonwatch from Omega that Daniel Craig first wore with more than a touch of Bond-esque secrecy at an event last November. And now comes the first iteration of the MoonSwatch to feature Snoopy. It’s kind of a big deal, folks.
If you don’t understand exactly why it’s a big deal, here’s a primer: In 1968, Snoopy joined NASA. After a fire killed three astronauts the year before, the agency put a renewed focus on safety. The mascot chosen for this effort—called the Manned Flight Awareness program at the time and currently referred to as the Space Flight Awareness—was Snoopy, the beloved beagle from Peanuts. A NASA public-affairs officer named Al Chop reached out to Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, who agreed to provide drawings free of charge. The Silver Snoopy Award, created in 1968 and given to NASA workers or contractors who contribute to the success and safety of spaceflight missions, quickly became one of the agency’s most esteemed honors. It remains so to this day.
So, yeah, astronauts love Snoopy. And watch fans love Snoopy, too. See, thanks to the Omega Speedmaster’s crucial role in bringing the crew of Apollo 13 home safely, the watchmaker was awarded its own Silver Snoopy in 1970. In 2003, the brand finally released a limited-edition Speedy with Snoopy on the dial, followed by updated riffs for the forty-fifth anniversary of the mission in 2015 and the fiftieth in 2020. They are, naturally, prized pieces for collectors.
And now they’ve got a little competition, because if you’re in the market for a dog on a watch and are willing to swap stainless steel for Swatch’s proprietary bioceramic material, you can get the famous beagle—and a moonphase complication—on the MoonSwatch. The all-white iteration of the timepiece is the first time that Swatch has paired a moonphase with a chronograph, and it’s available in select Swatch stores starting on March 26. It may be a bit of a task securing one for yourself, but it’ll be a whole lot easier on your life and your wallet than trying to get one of those limited editions from years past.
If you’re extra excited about all of this and planning to line up in hopes of getting a Snoopy MoonSwatch early, good luck to you. Just remember to be kind to those around you and mindful of everyone’s well-being. Safety is paramount, after all—and Snoopy’s watching.
