When I announced the Undone x Peanuts Lunar Landing collaboration last week, I promised a hands-on review soon. Just days later, the postman arrived with a Snoopy ACES and the watch has absolutely delighted everyone who has set eyes on it.
As mentioned in my earlier post, the Lunar Landing watches commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission, but also the rediscovery of the Apollo 10 lunar module “Snoopy,” believed lost when it was jettisoned after testing in May 1969.
Like all Undone watches, the Lunar Landing watches can be customized with multiple dial, case, bezel, handset, and strap options including your choice of 21 different character illustrations (in full color, outline, or gray). This one arrived with a back-on-Black “Modern” dial, PVD black case, black and vintage engraved tachymetre bezel, and an orange Cordura strap. In the illustration, a full-color, space-suited Snoopy celebrates with Woodstock.
I’ve got a soft spot for the Peanuts comics. They were a staple of my childhood, and my very first watch was a Timex Snoopy. Sure, other kids had Micky Mouse watches, but Charles Schultz’s strip captured the anxieties and absurdities of life in a way that Disney’s giddy Mouse never could. Nostalgia aside, the illustration is clean and vibrant with raised edges and clear texture, which make it look more a part of the dial than a stamped-on afterthought.
The familiar Undone Chronograph dial has bar markers rendered in gray lume. It is appropriately outer spacey in its blackness but of course, dark lume generally fails quickly in low light. The vintage lume on the hands takes up the slack. For those looking for a better glow, I’d recommend the “Vintage Speedy” tan-lumed dial option. I have a similar set up on my Undone Urban Tropical and have no complaints.
Lunar Mission watches share the same style stainless steel case as the rest of the Urban Chronograph collection. It measures 40mm wide (41.8 mm across the bezel), 48mm long, and 12 mm thick to the top the domed K1 mineral crystal. Polished and brushed layers in the barrel’s profile, and narrow, angular lugs, make it appear even slimmer, accentuating its retro proportions. It is an easy watch to wear, especially for those of us with smaller wrists (6.75” in my case).
The case back features “Snoopy” in NASA’s own typeface, ridden by a parade of Red Baron/Astronaut Snoopys. Engraved around it are the watch’s basic specs, including its 30m water resistance, which I would take as a warning that the Snoopy ACES may be ready for cartoon space travel, but not prolonged submersion in the earthly depths.
Inside, is the popular and reliable Seiko MechaQuartz hybrid movement, which marries a quartz timekeeper to a mechanical chronograph, providing quartz accuracy and simplicity with a smooth sweep hand, crisp button action, and a snap-back reset.
Undone’s packaging is attractive, secure, and best of all, small. The rigid, fabric-wrapped box is only 1.5″ x 3.5″ x 6.5″ so it won’t take up too much room if you decide to hold onto it. Its dense foam confines fit the watch and one extra strap.
This watch arrived on the standard “international orange” 20mm Cordura strap. It looks great on the watch, particularly as it ties into Snoopy’s ACES suit of the same color. Buyers will also get a second strap of their choice that can be easily swapped thanks to integrated quick-release pins.
There aren’t many cartoon watches that would tempt this 50-year old, but I love the Snoopy ACES is marvelous. It helps that the base Urban Chronograph is already a thoughtfully designed piece. Nothing about it seems like a toy or a novelty. I would have no qualms about giving one to a kid, nor would I hesitate to wear it myself.
If you appreciate a whimsical kind of cool, then head over to Undone.com, select your configuration, and for $365 they will assemble an Undone x Peanuts ACES watch just for you. ⬩
