The replica Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13 refers to copies of the Speedmaster Professional Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary watch. Omega received the Silver Snoopy Award in 1970 because a Speedmaster on the Apollo 13 mission was used to time the 14 second engine burn that corrected the spacecraft's course for reentry. The anniversary watch marks that event with a blue dial, a Snoopy figure on the 9 o'clock subdial, and a case back that animates when the chronograph runs. Replicas reproduce those cues at very different quality levels, and price tracks detail. The guide below covers what to check before you spend money.
What This Reference Looks Like
The genuine watch uses a 42mm stainless case, a 20mm lug width, a sun brushed blue dial, and a tachymeter bezel with the dot over 90 marker. The 9 o'clock subdial carries a silver Snoopy in a space suit, and the small seconds register sits there instead of at 9 o'clock on a standard Moonwatch. The 3 o'clock register counts chronograph minutes and the 6 o'clock register counts hours. Hands are white batons with a lume fill, and the crystal is domed sapphire with anti reflective coating applied to the inner surface only.
Before You Shop
- Confirm the exact reference you are copying, since Silver Snoopy Award editions differ from the standard Speedmaster Professional in dial layout and case back art.
- Set a realistic budget. Entry replicas land near 100 dollars, mid tier automatic builds near 250 to 400 dollars, and high end builds with a decorated case back run higher.
- Read seller photos at full resolution. Dial printing and bezel numerals are where cheap builds fail first.
How to Inspect the Replica
- Measure the case with calipers and confirm 42mm across the bezel, not 40mm or 44mm.
- Check the lug width at 20mm, because a 21mm or 22mm gap will not accept standard Speedmaster straps.
- Tilt the dial under a lamp and look for a brushed blue finish that shifts tone with the light, not a flat painted navy.
- Zoom on the 9 o'clock subdial and verify Snoopy is crisp, centered, and correctly proportioned inside the register.
- Read the printed text on the dial. Lettering should be sharp and evenly spaced with no bleeding or doubled edges.
- Rotate the bezel and check that the tachymeter numerals sit square to the crystal and that the dot over 90 is present.
- Run the chronograph through a full cycle. Pushers should feel firm and the reset hand should snap to zero without drift.
- Inspect the crystal edge for a domed profile and hold the watch at an angle to confirm the coating does not cast a blue or purple haze across the dial.
- Turn the watch over and study the case back engraving or sapphire disc, since this is the most copied detail poorly.
- Charge the lume under a light and confirm an even, bright glow across the hour markers and hands.
Movement Tiers
Cheap replicas use quartz movements with a ticking chronograph hand. Mid tier builds use a Seagull ST19 hand wound chronograph, which is the closest visual match to the column wheel layout Omega uses. Larger cases sometimes hide a modified Valjoux 7750 automatic, but that movement adds thickness and changes the pusher feel. Ask the seller which movement is inside and check the case thickness against the genuine 13.2mm figure.
What a Replica Cannot Do
No replica matches the finishing, tolerances, or service network of the original. The animated case back on the genuine anniversary watch is a specific mechanical feature that most copies approximate with printed art or a fixed disc. Resale value does not exist for replicas, and authentication tests will identify them. Treat a replica as a wearable tribute, not an investment, and buy from a seller with clear return terms.