The Snoopy MoonSwatch Finally Has an Official Release Date

A few hours ago, we speculated that the long-teased Omega x Swatch MoonSnoopy (our nickname—not official!) was imminent. Well, friends—the hour is nigh. Just this afternoon, we professional watch nerds—ahem, journalists—received word in our inboxes that the beagle had landed: Witness the new MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase, an all-white, Snoopy-themed MoonSwatch that, for the first time, integrates a moonphase complication into the collection. Available on March 26—two years after the launch of the original, wildly popular MoonSwatch dropped in a dozen colorful variants—it once again sees Omega team up with its sister brand Swatch to offer an affordable, quartz-powered Speedmaster to the masses.

In case you missed all the hullabaloo the first time around, the MoonSwatch is a Bioceramic-cased, battery-powered chronograph built by Swatch and Omega. What is normally a hand-wound, highly technical timepiece costing thousands has become a joyful, sub-$500 watch that can be had at Swatch boutiques around the world, with a case made of a combination of castor oil-derived plastic and ceramic. Lightweight, slightly irreverent, and fun, the original MoonSwatches saw people lined up for hours all around the world à la the late-90s Beanie Babies craze. The watches proved so popular, in fact, that Swatch began releasing a new one nearly every month.

Lens Position: 3437

The MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase, however, is special for several reasons: For one, it features America’s favorite cartoon beagle, who has been a fixture of Speedmaster lore since the 1960s. (The NASA Silver Snoopy Award is awarded to individuals or organizations who display “professionalism, dedication and outstanding support that greatly enhanced space flight safety and mission success.” In fact, it was awarded to Omega in 1970.) While Snoopy has figured on special-edition Speedies for years, this is the first time he’s been seen on the more affordable MoonSwatch—and rather than simply appear on the caseback or within a sundial, his visage appears twice, cradles within dual moons that figure on a moon phase indicator at 2 o’clock.

This spinning disc, which shows the current phase of the moon throughout the month, typically features in more high-end, mechanical timepieces. Its appearance in a quartz-powered chronograph, while not completely uncommon, is notable—but Swatch has a further trick up its sleeve: Turn the lights out, and stars appear in blue luminescent material in each depiction of the sky, joined by the words “I can’t sleep without a night light!” from the Peanuts comic strip.

Measuring 42mm wide and paired to a matching, two-piece Velcro strap, the Mission to the Moonphase is almost entirely white with the exception of its indices and hands. An excellent summer watch—aesthetically speaking, that is, as 30m of water resistance ain’t exactly enough for most water activities—it’ll likely be priced somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 like its cousins. And take our word for it when we say: You might wanna start lining up at your friendly neighborhood watch boutique right now.