There is a watch that is not limited, but you can’t buy it; its price is only NT$315,000 (about HK$80,000), but you have to spend several times the price to get it. This OMEGA Speedmaster is a wonderful gift at the end of 2020, but it is also a cruel gift for fans.
On October 5, 2020, OMEGA’s Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award” launched the 50th anniversary edition. As soon as the watch was released, it immediately flooded major digital communities. Although the watch is not limited, it is reported that you need to accumulate a considerable “contribution” to the brand to get it first, otherwise the waiting list will be endless. This third generation of Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award” is a must-collect style for watch owners who already own the first two models; for watch fans who have never owned it, it is also a very attractive watch.
The new Snoopy has highlights on both sides
The “Silver Snoopy Award” was specially established by NASA in 1968 to honor individuals or groups who have contributed to space missions. OMEGA was awarded this award for providing accurate timing for the return operation during the Apollo 13 lunar mission. In 2003, OMEGA first released a limited edition watch with this medal as the theme, using the traditional black dial of Speedmaster, limited to 5441 pieces; in 2015, the second limited edition watch was launched, with more details and a smaller number of 1970 pieces. 2020 is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 project. It is natural to choose October 5, the day when OMEGA won the Silver Snoopy Award, to release a new model. This is also the first non-limited Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award”.
The new 42mm stainless steel case is very similar to the discontinued CK2998, both with a silver-white face and a blue Panda Dial chronograph counter, and this model uses a silver dial, which is even rarer. At 9 o’clock is a blue and white Snoopy medal, made into a slightly raised relief with the words 50th Anniversary; the dark blue background has a slight grain pattern, which is very much like a space meteorite. In addition to being used on the three-eye chronograph counter, the blue elements also include the OMEGA logo, three-dimensional hour scales, hour, minute and second hands, ceramic bezel and nylon fabric strap. The blue ceramic bezel has a bright white enamel tachymeter scale and is paired with a box-shaped mirror.
Looking at the front of the watch alone, many watch fans may comment that the third generation is not as good as the second generation in terms of the comic style and tribute characteristics of the dial design. However, the back of this third generation has another mystery. The back of the NAIAD LOCK case presents a scene of the Apollo 13 moon landing plan, with the moon, the earth and Snoopy on the moon landing command module. The moon’s cratered surface is presented using microstructured metallization technology. When the chronograph function is activated, the chronograph second hand on the front of the watch starts to work, and the back of the watch shows Snoopy in the command module flying around the moon, rotating like an animation; the blue earth disk rotates once a minute, synchronized with the small second hand of the watch. This is also the first watch with a movable device on the back of the “Silver Snoopy Award” special edition. In addition, the embossing on the back of the strap is the orbital route map of the Apollo 13 plan, which is also very commemorative.
The hand-wound chronograph movement equipped with Speedmaster, from the early 321 and 1861, and this 3861 hand-wound movement is the latest model launched in 2019, equipped with a coaxial escapement, silicon hairspring, and certified by the Master Observatory, with a daily error of 0 to +5 seconds and anti-magnetic force of 15,000 gauss. The 3861 movement was first installed in special editions, such as the 50th anniversary edition of Apollo 11 in 2019, and this “Silver Snoopy Award”. However, in January 2021, the 3861 movement also began to be fully installed in the revised general Speedmaster, symbolizing the arrival of the next generation of Speedmaster.
The three generations of Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award” have been popular in the market so far, especially the second generation, which has the least number and is hard to find, and few collectors are willing to sell it. The third generation was released in an unlimited form, giving everyone a chance and the most beautiful dream; however, the reality is that the brand strictly controls the number of arrivals, and everyone has a chance, but no one is sure, so the market price is very high in the short term. As for whether it can maintain its strength after the popularity fades, or even after the release year and the circulation quantity increases, it depends on whether the number of fans is large enough.
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