The "Apollo 13 Speedmaster" is the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch tied to the 1970 mission, plus the Silver Snoopy Award editions that commemorate it. A fake of either can look convincing in a photo, but nearly every replica fails four checks: the caseback engraving, the subdial printing, the chronograph reset to zero, and the crown and pusher feel. Work through the steps below before you spend money, and treat any listing that skips macro photos or movement details as a pass.
Which Watch the Name Refers To
NASA flight-qualified the Speedmaster for spaceflight in 1965, and the Apollo 13 crew used it to time the burn that steered the damaged spacecraft home. That history is why the watch carries a premium and why replicas exist at every price point.
- Standard Moonwatch: manual wind, 42 mm, three subdials, tachymeter bezel. Reference families include 145.022, 3570.50, and the current 310.30.42.50.01.002.
- Silver Snoopy Award 2015 (311.32.42.30.04.001): white dial, Snoopy on the running seconds subdial, the number 14 on that subdial, micro-text around the outer ring.
- Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary 2020 (310.32.42.50.02.001): blue dial, Snoopy on the 9 o'clock subdial with a lumed helmet, domed sapphire caseback engraved with the Earth and Moon.
How to Check a Speedmaster Apollo 13 Replica in Ten Steps
- Request macro photos of the dial, caseback, and clasp taken under raking light before you agree to anything.
- Compare the subdial hand lengths to reference photos of the same reference number.
- Read every line of dial text and compare letter weight, spacing, and alignment to the genuine layout.
- Study the Snoopy figure on the 9 o'clock subdial of a 2020 edition, or the printed 14 on the 2015 white dial.
- Flip the watch over and read the caseback text line by line, including the seahorse medallion and reference formatting.
- Start the chronograph, run it 30 seconds, stop it, then reset it and watch the seconds hand snap back to 12.
- Wind the crown about 20 turns and note the resistance and the click at each turn.
- Press each pusher and feel the travel, then check for wobble or a spongy return.
- Inspect the bezel insert for tachymeter spelling and the position of the dot at 90.
- Ask for the movement identification and photos through the caseback before you pay.
The Caseback Is Where Fakes Break First
Genuine Speedmaster casebacks use fine, deep engraving with crisp edges. Replicas show shallow laser etching, uneven letter height, or a seahorse medallion that sits too small in the circle. On Snoopy editions, the sapphire caseback art is the hardest element to copy, so most replicas simplify it or print it flat.
Dial Printing and Subdial Details
Look at the step between the dial and the subdial rings. Genuine dials have a clean step, sharp lume plots, and a matte finish that does not flare under direct light. Cheap replicas use flat printed dials, fuzzy text, and lume that charges fast and fades in minutes.
Movement, Winding, and the Chronograph Reset
A genuine Moonwatch uses a column-wheel, horizontal-clutch calibre, so the chronograph start is light and the reset is instant. Quartz replicas have a ticking seconds hand and a sweeping chronograph hand that jumps. Mechanical replicas built on the Seagull ST19 or a Lemania-style clone feel closer, but the reset often lands a hair off 12 and the pushers feel stiff.
Replica Tiers You Will Meet
- Quartz: cheapest, wrong beat rate, plastic feel. Avoid.
- ST19 mechanical: hand-wind chronograph, decent looks, visible movement differences through a display back.
- Clone calibres: closest in size and feel, but still wrong finishing, wrong jewel count, and no service history.
Never Sell a Replica as Genuine
Buying a replica for yourself is one thing. Selling one as an authentic Omega is fraud, and importing counterfeit goods can lead to seizure and penalties. If you are shopping on the secondhand market, buy from a seller with a return window and pay for an independent authentication before the window closes.
Price Reality Check
A genuine Speedmaster Professional starts in the low four figures and Snoopy editions trade well above retail. Any listing at a fraction of that price is a replica, no matter how the ad is worded. Decide which you want, then judge the replica on its own merits instead of hoping it is real.