The top pick for most buyers searching a phony Apollo 13 Snoopy is a replica of the 2015 white dial Silver Snoopy Award Speedmaster. It wins on the criteria that decide whether a replica holds up on the wrist: dial layout and subdial spacing, caseback treatment, movement type, bezel and crystal, and whether the seller describes the watch honestly instead of passing it off as an Omega. The 2015 reference is the easiest of the three Snoopy Speedmasters to reproduce, because its caseback is a solid engraved plate and its dial carries one small Snoopy inside the running seconds subdial. The 2020 blue version and the 2003 original each carry a harder test.
Adulterated Apollo 13 Snoopy: Spot a Mismatched Speedmaster
What the phrase phony Apollo 13 Snoopy covers
The name traces back to the Silver Snoopy Award, a pin NASA astronauts hand out for contributions to flight safety and mission success. Omega received one in 1970 for the Speedmaster's role in Apollo 13, where the crew used a hand wound chronograph to time a 14 second midcourse correction after the oxygen tank failed. Omega has since released three Snoopy themed Speedmasters: the 2003 Snoopy Award, the 2015 Silver Snoopy Award, and the 2020 50th Anniversary Silver Snoopy Award.
In listings, phony usually means one of two things. It can mean a counterfeit being sold as a genuine Omega, which is fraud. It can also mean a replica sold openly as a replica, which is a different transaction with different expectations. Every check below applies to both cases.
Option 1: 2015 Silver Snoopy Award, white dial
A 42mm steel Speedmaster Professional with a white dial, a lumed Snoopy in the 9 o'clock small seconds subdial, and a numbered caseback tied to the 1970 award year. The original runs a hand wound calibre 1861.
Manufactured Apollo 13 Snoopy: What Replica Watches Copy
Pros
- White dial and three register layout are the most forgiving combination to print cleanly.
- Hand wound chronograph movements with the correct 3 6 9 subdial spacing are widely available, so the dial does not sit on a shifted automatic layout.
- Caseback is a solid engraved plate, which removes the hardest element to fake.
- Parts, straps and bracelets are easy to source because the case shares dimensions with standard Moonwatch builds.
Cons
- White dials punish sloppy printing. Any fuzzy text or off center subdial is visible immediately.
- Lume on the Snoopy figure is often flat paint on cheaper builds and will not glow.
- Limited edition numbering on the caseback is frequently wrong or missing.
Use case: buy this one if you want the Snoopy nod for everyday wear and you rarely turn the watch over. It is the safest choice for a first replica and the easiest to keep looking correct on a leather or nylon strap.
Option 2: 2020 50th Anniversary Silver Snoopy Award, blue dial
The modern version: 42mm steel, blue dial, blue ceramic bezel with white enamel tachymeter, and Omega's Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 3861. The caseback carries an animated Snoopy in a Command Module with a rotating Earth disc.
Pros
- Blue is the most recognizable Snoopy Speedmaster, and the color hides minor dial printing faults better than white.
- Ceramic bezel inserts with enamel style fill are produced at good quality.
- Modern case proportions and a sapphire crystal suit daily wear.
Cons
- The animated caseback is the single hardest element to copy. Most phonies substitute a static engraving or a printed disc that does not move with the movement.
- An open caseback exposes the movement, and a plain automatic rotor or a visibly different bridge layout gives the watch away in one glance.
- The 3861 architecture does not match the common clone movements, so internals never look right.
Use case: choose this if you want the look on the wrist and accept that the back will not fool anyone who knows the real watch. If the moving Snoopy is the reason you want it, a replica will disappoint you.
Option 3: 2003 Snoopy Award, first edition
The original Snoopy Speedmaster, based on the classic hand wound Professional case, with an applied Silver Snoopy Award patch at 9 o'clock and a commemorative caseback engraving.
Pros
- Historically the most interesting of the three for collectors who care about the lineage.
- Case and bracelet parts are common, so servicing and strap changes are simple.
- Aged lume and a vintage feel work well on leather.
Cons
- Fewer makers build it, so the pool of good examples is thin.
- The applied patch is a fine detail that cheap builds render as a flat sticker or omit entirely.
- Faked patina on lume is almost always obvious under daylight.
Use case: a good pick for a vintage leaning buyer who wants a strap watch and does not need the modern blue dial.
Checks that separate a good build from a phony
- Subdial spacing. A Speedmaster Professional places the 30 minute counter at 3, the 12 hour counter at 6, and running seconds at 9. Chronographs built on a Valjoux style automatic often shift these and add a date window that should not exist.
- Winding. The originals are hand wound. If you feel a rotor swinging or see one through the back, the movement is wrong for the reference.
- Caseback. The 2020 animation should move. A static disc that only looks like Snoopy is the clearest tell.
- Bezel. The 2020 uses a blue ceramic insert with crisp white fill. Painted aluminum looks soft at the edges.
- Lume. Charge the dial with a phone light. The Snoopy detail and the hands should glow evenly.
- Paper trail. Numbered editions ship with matching cards. A seller who cannot show them, or who claims a replica is genuine, is the biggest risk in the transaction.
Which one to buy
For a first purchase, take the 2015 white dial build: the dial is honest about what it is, the caseback cannot be faked wrong, and the movement layout matches. Take the 2020 only if you accept a static back. Take the 2003 if you already own modern Speedmasters and want something with a vintage voice. In all three cases, ask the seller plainly whether the watch is a replica, and treat any answer that dodges the question as a reason to walk away.