The best replica Apollo 13 Snoopy for most buyers is the 50th Anniversary Silver Snoopy Award style copy with a blue dial and a working animated caseback. It wins because the blue dial, the steel case profile, and the caseback animation are the parts people recognise from across a table, and that combination is easier to get right than the white dial 45th Anniversary version. The criteria used here are dial colour and printing, subdial layout, case and lug finishing, the Snoopy graphic itself, crystal type, movement quality, and caseback behaviour.
What the Apollo 13 Snoopy name refers to
Snoopy became the mascot tied to Apollo 13 because the crew's mission patch came from the Peanuts strip and showed the dog in a spacesuit. NASA later created the Silver Snoopy Award, a pin given to people who contribute to flight safety and mission success, and Omega received one after its Speedmaster timing work helped the crew during the emergency. In the replica market, "Apollo 13 Snoopy" is shorthand for the Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award editions, not for a standard Moonwatch with a printed caseback.
2020 50th Anniversary style, blue dial
This is the version most buyers picture when they search for an Apollo 13 Snoopy copy. The dial is deep blue with three stepped subdials, and the caseback carries the animated Snoopy scene with a rotating Earth disc.
- Pros: closest match to the modern case profile at 42mm, stepped subdials read well at arm's length, and the animated caseback is the single most convincing detail if it works.
- Cons: the animation mechanism is the first thing to fail on low cost copies, the blue shade drifts between batches, and caseback engraving depth is often shallow.
Buy this one if you want the most recognisable Snoopy on the wrist and you are willing to check the caseback animation before you commit.
2015 45th Anniversary style, white dial
The white dial version places a small Snoopy figure on the running seconds subdial and relies on clean printing and a pale, slightly glossy dial finish.
- Pros: stands out more than the blue dial in photos, and the white face makes dial faults easy to spot before you buy.
- Cons: white dials show any print misalignment or dust immediately, the subdial graphic is often too small or too dark, and honest copies are harder to find than blue dial ones.
Buy this one if you already own dark dial watches and want a Snoopy that reads as a deliberate choice rather than a Moonwatch lookalike.
2003 Silver Snoopy Award style, white dial, Japan run
The earliest Snoopy Speedmaster is a limited Japan market release with a white dial and a Snoopy figure worked into the small seconds at nine o'clock.
- Pros: the smallest and most vintage flavoured Snoopy look, with a simple dial that is hard to get badly wrong.
- Cons: the limited run means few reference photos circulate, so sellers can pass off a loose approximation, and vintage style bracelets on copies are often the weakest part of the package.
Buy this one if you prefer a quiet Snoopy that only other enthusiasts will notice.
Criteria that decide quality
Work through this list before you pay, and ask for photos of each item rather than trusting a stock image.
- Dial: subdial spacing should match the case, and text should sit level with no grey halo around the print.
- Hands: the chronograph hand should reset to twelve without drifting, and lume should be even across all three hands.
- Case: lugs should taper rather than look slab sided, and the polished and brushed sections should meet on a crisp line.
- Crystal: domed sapphire with an anti reflective coating is the safer choice for daily wear than a plastic style crystal.
- Movement: a hand wound chronograph keeps the case thin and the caseback close to the original silhouette.
The caseback is the hard part
On the 2020 style watch, the caseback carries a moving scene rather than a flat engraving. A good copy shows a clear Snoopy silhouette, readable engraving, and a disc that turns smoothly when the movement runs. A weak copy shows a flat sticker, gaps between the caseback and the case, or a disc that catches. If you cannot see the caseback in motion, assume the animation is decorative only.
What to avoid
Skip any listing that shows a stock photo of the genuine watch, that quotes no case diameter, or that describes the dial colour only as "white or blue". Avoid copies with a chronograph hand that wobbles when set, with a date window on a Snoopy dial, or with a caseback that screws down loosely. Ask whether the watch is water resistant and treat any vague answer as a no.
Which one to choose
Pick the blue dial 50th Anniversary style copy if you want the strongest visual match and you will check the caseback before buying. Choose the white dial 45th Anniversary style if you want the Snoopy graphic visible on the dial face. Choose the Japan run style if you want a smaller, older looking watch. In every case, judge the copy on the dial print, the case finish, and the movement behaviour, because those three items decide how the watch looks after a year of wear.