Watches of the Artemis II Recovery Team

When the Astronauts Returned to Earth After a Lap Around the Moon, They Were Recovered by Specialized Navy Divers Wearing Great Tool Watches

By Benjamin Lowry 

When the four Artemis II astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on 10 April 2026, they wore notable watches from Omega and Breitling, continuing a proud tradition of timepieces in space that dates back to space exploration’s earliest days. Social media did its thing, and I was blown away by the attention commanded by the astronauts’ watches. 

Deep Sea Diving Independent Duty Corpsmen from the Dive Medical Recovery Team were the first to make contact with the Artemis II astronauts. (Photo Credit: US Navy) 

While the space-flown Omega X-33s and Breitling Cosmonautes rightfully received the majority of the shine (read HERE) as the astronauts were recovered and transferred to the awaiting USS John P. Murtha, we quickly noticed a couple of other intriguing timepieces in action on the wrists of members of the US Navy’s Artemis II recovery team. In this Dispatch, we continue our exploration of the watches of astronaut recovery, briefly touching on the history and speaking with two members of the Dive Medical Recovery Team who made first contact with the Artemis II astronauts. 

Like the Tudor Submariners trusted by the Underwater Demolition Team frogmen who secured Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and other legends of the Apollo era, analog watches from Marathon and Bulova served as tools and talismans for the Artemis II recovery team, carrying forward a legacy of watches in the high-stakes world of plucking astronauts from the sea. 

Watches of Astronaut Recovery - Then & Now  

Members of UDT 13 served as the recovery team for Apollo 12. Tudor Submariners and Zodiac Sea Wolf watches can be seen on some of the frogmen. (Photo Credit: Navy Helicopter Association Historical Society)

Starting with the 1962 Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, the responsibility for recovering astronauts was entrusted to the US Navy frogmen of the Underwater Demolition Teams. In the 1960s and 70s, the Tudor Submariner was the UDT issue watch of choice, and many of the practitioners pulled from the Vietnam War and other duties to assist in NASA recovery missions brought their Tudor Subs with them. With that being said, other watches, including the Zodiac Seawolf and a seldom-seen Omega Chronostop, were also utilized by frogmen conducting NASA recovery operations. For a more complete history of the watches of astronaut recovery, click HERE. 

Today, recovery operations for NASA space missions are primarily the responsibility of US Navy Divers, EOD Technicians, and Deep Sea Diving Independent Duty Corpsmen. However, rescue operations for unplanned recoveries taking place anywhere other than the target splashdown location go to US Air Force Pararescuemen or PJs. Like many among the military and special operations, these communities boast strong watch cultures, and the Artemis II recovery team provided further great examples of the enduring role played by analog watches in military operations. 

Bulova Lunar Pilot 

Aldridge preparing for his role in the Artemis II recovery mission with the Lunar Pilot on his wrist. (Photo Credit: US Navy)

Launched in 2016, the Bulova Lunar Pilot is a modern recreation of the prototype chronograph used by US astronaut Colonel David Scott on Apollo 15 in 1971. It is exactly this lunar association that led Senior Chief Laddy Aldridge, a Deep Sea Diving Independent Duty Corpsman or Dive IDC, to select the watch over his Seiko SKX009 for his role in the Artemis II recovery mission. With nineteen years in the Navy, Aldridge humbly described his place in the Dive Medical Recovery Team as a “right place, right time” situation, but I would argue it is actually the culmination of an impressive military career focused on hyperbaric medicine. 

When I spoke with Aldridge, he was at his family home in Cushing, Oklahoma, and he described a lifelong love of watches that was only amplified when he joined the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman or medic. At his first command, Aldridge was issued a series of Suunto watches that he successively flooded before a peer gave him a Citizen Eco-Zilla that better suited his needs. The Citizen gave way to several issued Casio Pathfinders and G-Shocks, and a privately-purchased orange Mudman, before Aldridge joined the mechanical watch ranks with a Seiko SKX009 a few years ago. 

Aldridge’s Seiko SKX009 is one of his favorite watches, but the Lunar Pilot got the job on the big day. (Photo Credit: Laddy Aldridge)

“Watch culture in the military has grown by leaps and bounds in the last ten years”, Aldridge said, and after three years of training for his role in Artemis II, he knew he’d have to put some thought into which watch to use for the big mission. As much as he appreciated his Seiko, the idea of bringing a watch with lunar associations to recover astronauts who had just completed mankind’s first trip to the Moon in over 50 years was too good to pass up. The Lunar Pilot was also a departing gift from a former supervisor and Undersea Medical Officer, so it felt right. 

Aldridge’s Lunar Pilot in action. (Photo Credit: Laddy Aldridge)

After entering the Orion capsule, Aldridge’s specific job was to assess the health of Canadian astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen, and while he didn’t end up needing to use his watch to monitor Hansen’s vital signs, he did reiterate the importance of mechanical backups. While we were focused on the watch, Laddy was also the guy wearing the “Not Flat” patch on his helmet, which has since gone viral.

When asked about his future timepiece plans, Aldridge said, “My entire social media feed these days is watches, and I could definitely see myself getting a Tudor FXD GMT or an Omega Seamaster somewhere down the line.” 

Marathon CSAR Chronograph 

Chief Hospital Corpsman Vlad Link wearing his Marathon CSAR before the Artemis II recovery mission. (Photo Credit: Marathon/US Navy)

Incredibly, Aldridge’s Lunar Pilot wasn’t the only noteworthy timepiece being used by the Dive Medical Recovery Team. Another team member, Chief Hospital Corpsman Vlad Link, from Chelsea, Massachusetts, wore a watch from Marathon, a brand with close ties to the W.O.E. community and a long history of military-issue timepieces. When I spoke with Vlad from his home in San Diego, he said he purchased the Marathon about a few years ago and had only worn it sparingly since, with a feeling that he was saving it for “something special”, and that something was the Artemis II recovery operation. 

Vlad’s Marathon CSAR in action. (Photo Credit: Vlad Link/US Navy)

When asked why the Marathon CSAR, a 46mm-wide automatic chronograph developed for search and rescue pilots, Vlad explained that he appreciated Marathon’s legitimate military associations. He had also always loved big watches, from the Suunto D6 he was issued early in his career at SEAL Delivery Team ONE to the many Casio Pathfinders and G-Shocks he used over the years, to the Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller 116660 he bought in 2019. 

On the day, Vlad was responsible for Mission Commander Reid Wiseman, and used the Marathon while assessing Wiseman’s vital signs. Vlad is also responsible for a GoPro video showing the opening of the Orion capsule that has since gone viral pretty much everywhere. Both his Marathon and Laddy’s Bulova make brief appearances in the video.

Link and Wiseman flexing their watches inside the Orion capsule. Pretty cool. (Photo Credit: Vlad Link)

As the divers were setting up the “front porch”, a floating raft positioned outside the capsule, Vlad explained how he and Wiseman spoke for several minutes about the “importance of watches in each of their missions”, a moment commemorated with an epic selfie. In his daily life, Vlad prefers wearing his Suunto 9 Baro, the latest in a long line of Suunto models that have earned his trust. As for the Rolex and the Marathon, Link said they’re still primarily watches for special occasions that would later be passed down through his family. “As important as being a part of the Artemis recovery mission was, that’s where the legacy of these watches really starts.” 

Chief Link's Marathon alongside an Artemis II mission patch, a hard hat diver's knife, and a few other watches, including his Rolex Deepsea. (Photo Credit: Vlad Link)

Final Thoughts 

In an era where astronauts rely on cutting-edge digital systems capable of guiding a spacecraft around the Moon and back, the fact that both the astronauts themselves and their specialized Navy recovery team opted for analog tool watches is yet another reminder of the enduring utility and heritage of timepieces. Whether it’s a Bulova Lunar Pilot honoring the legacy of Apollo or a seldom-seen Marathon CSAR pulled out only for a once-in-a-lifetime mission, these watches connect modern astronaut recovery teams to the generations of Navy frogmen who came before. 

From the Tudor Submariners worn during the Apollo recoveries to the modern watches used as tools by the Artemis II Dive Medical Recovery Team, the tradition endures. The technology of space flight is more advanced than ever, and humanity is once again reaching for the Moon, but for those standing by to safeguard these intrepid explorers as they return to Earth, a dependable watch remains an essential tool, a symbol of heritage, and a reminder that behind the astronauts grabbing the headlines, a massive team of highly-trained professionals is required to get them home safely. 

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