Omega

So the watch itself is a Speedmaster Professional 3570.50 (which was released in 2003).  What makes it a little bit different is that there’s a cartoon character on both the dial and the caseback.  

Why? Well as we all know at this point (good marketing, or maybe more accurately saturation, by Omega) is that Omega and NASA (and the moon) are forever linked.  

In the late 60’s NASA created the the Silver Snoopy award to be a “special honor awarded to NASA employees and contractors for outstanding achievements related to human flight safety or mission success”.  

Long story short in 1970, post the safe return of Apollo 13, NASA awarded the Silver Snoopy to Omega.  As an aside, if you want the long story I highly recommend listening to the Brady Heywood Podcast (the Apollo story is a little off topic maybe for the Podcast, which has lots of other interesting history related to human and engineering failures). 

So, to get back to the watch itself, somewhat randomly in 2003 Snoopy ends up on the dial of a Speedmaster.  

Why did I buy it?  For me there is something so pure about the dial of the Speedmaster.  It could be what my eyes see as a perfectly balanced dial, it could be that the indices and minute markers are just perfectly legible and it could be that those hands (in their simplicity) are just the perfect compliment to everything else I just mentioned.  

While I’m not sure I would have offered up those comments in 2003 I knew for some reason I wanted a Speedmaster.  Upon seeing the Snoopy it was also pretty clear to my younger self that having something a little different and a little fun was the direction I should go.  

In hindsight it was a great choice.  It’s timeless as designs and watches go, and that little difference and touch of fun (as Snoopy to me is fun, mission patches not so much) is still a hook these many years later.