August 7, 2019

— The first beagle on the moon has landed on the face of Timex watches.

Snoopy, who 50 years ago traveled to the moon, both in Charles Schulz' Peanuts comic strips and in real life with NASA, has again donned his astronaut spacesuit for a new collection of timepieces.

"We're celebrating with Peanuts to mark the 50-year anniversary of NASA's Apollo 11 mission and the first lunar landing in history. For this special occasion we've created a nostalgic new Snoopy In Space collection featuring NASA's favorite cartoon character standing on the moon and exploring the great beyond," Timex announced in July.

A NASA safety mascot since 1968, Snoopy and his owner, Charlie Brown, were the namesakes for the Apollo 10 spacecraft. "Snoopy," the lunar module, orbited the moon in May 1969 to "snoop" out sites for the lunar landing two months later.

Fifty years later, Peanuts and NASA have expanded Snoopy's role to promoting science and technology education, including through the new "Snoopy In Space" animated series premiering with the Apple TV+ streaming service this fall.

"Snoopy in Space" trailer. Click to view and enlarge in a pop-up window. (Apple TV+ / Peanuts)

The Timex X Snoopy In Space collection includes four designs based on three of the American watchmaker's models.

"The watches in this limited new series feature patriotic strap styles and special dial treatments to highlight Snoopy and other space-related graphics when you activate the Indiglo backlight," Timex described.

The first wristwatches released for sale feature Snoopy dressed in his modern, NASA-inspired orange spacesuit while "standing beneath the American flag astronauts planted on the moon in 1969" (says Timex, though the surface beneath Snoopy's feet is Mars red rather than moon gray).

Based on Timex's Standard watch model, which has a mineral glass crystal and oversized crown, the 40mm silver-tone timepieces come with either a white dial with brown leather strap or a dark blue dial with a blue leather strap. Each retail for $89.

Three other watches are set to be released this month.

The Timex X Snoopy In Space Weekender will come decorated with Snoopy either standing on the red planet (without the American flag) or floating against a starry background. The latter is emblazoned with "All Systems Are Go!" in bold blue and red lettering.

Both versions have the hour indices printed inside the watch crystal, so Snoopy shines when wearers enable the backlight, and woven fabric straps in either black or red.

The Timex X Snoopy In Space MK1 also features the hour indices printed in the domed acrylic crystal, but uses a special cutout dial to show Snoopy's silhouette when using the Indiglo backlight.

The MK1 depicts Snoopy walking on the cratered surface of the moon, set against a multicolor sunrise and the inscription "Snoopy - Space Mission - 1969."

Timex also has a "Snoopy and Outer Space" kids' watch decorated with astronaut Snoopy and Woodstock. The $30 model comes with an adjustable space-themed elastic band.

In addition to Timex, the custom watch label Undone has also recently launched a "Space Program Lunar Mission" collection that features not just Snoopy, but the entire Peanuts gang wearing spacesuits, including Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and Woodstock. Two models limited to 300 pieces each have already sold out, but the open "Snoopy ACES" watches remain available for $315 to $365 each.

The original astronaut Snoopy, as drawn by Charles Schulz for NASA, previously decorated the caseback of Omega's Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award chronograph. Introduced in 2015, the limited edition watch commemorated the Speedmaster's role in timing a critical engine burn that helped return the Apollo 13 astronauts safely to Earth, for which NASA presented Omega its Snoopy-shaped lapel pin award.