Tudor: Splashdown - The Little-Known Story Of Navy Frogmen & The Space Program

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Tudor’s New Documentary, W.O.E. On The Set 

USS Hornet, Alameda, California

In a conference room deep in the bowels of a storied aircraft carrier that now serves as a museum, I remove my Tudor Submariner 7928 from my wrist. The watch was issued to Underwater Demolition Team 12 (UDT-12) in the early 1960s and had the scars to prove it. I helped fasten the vintage strap onto the wrist of John McLachlan, a former UDT-12 frogman and member of the Apollo recovery program. Nearly six decades prior, he wore a similar US Navy-issued Tudor Submariner during the recovery operations for the astronauts of Apollo 8 and 11. 

Feet away stood Jack Carr, a former Navy SEAL turned best-selling author, acting as an impromptu photographer to capture the profound moment. 

W.O.E.’s Tudor Submariner 7928 on the wrist of John McLachlan, a former UDT-12 frogman. (Photo Credit: Tudor)

Splashdown - The Little-Known Story of Tudor and the Space Program

We were on the now decommissioned USS Hornet for a simple but salient reason: to tell the story of John and the other UDT/SEALs that conducted the astronaut recovery of the Apollo 11 crew in 1969, nearly six decades prior. Apollo 11 was arguably history’s most important space mission, when two of the crew of three men landed safely on the Moon before returning to Earth as heroes. Recovering them safely was a mission of the utmost importance. 

The frogmen, many of them fresh off a deployment to the jungles of Vietnam, were tasked with assisting with the recovery of the Apollo 11 crew, 900 miles southeast of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, utilizing this very ship as a base of operations. 

“We didn’t want to screw up, because the world’s watching,” John would later recall. And this wasn’t an exaggeration; an estimated 500 million people watched the operation unfold live.

The documentary Splashdown - The Little Known Story of Tudor and the Space Program was created by Tudor, a Swiss watch brand well known in our community.  

I was invited by Tudor to attend the filming. While my role was minimal, it was an honor to be present, assist where I could, and, most importantly, lend my watch to John as he stood on the deck of the USS Hornet after so many years. To put it bluntly, I was humbled just to be there.

US Navy issued Tudor Submariner issued to and worn by former UDT/SEAL Steve “Walrus” Jewett.  (Photo Credit: Tudor)

Pacific Ocean, 24 July 1969

After Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, a specially trained team of U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) frogmen, the precursors to today’s Navy SEALs, was tasked with recovering the astronauts and securing the command module. Designated UDT-11, the team parachuted from a recovery helicopter into the ocean near the capsule, named Columbia, braving hazardous conditions including potential exposure to lunar pathogens. 

The frogmen affixed a flotation collar to stabilize the capsule, helped astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins exit the spacecraft, and safeguarded them into a nearby raft. 

Members of UDT 13 served as the recovery team for Apollo 12. The Tudor Submariner 7928 can be seen on some of the frogmen. Steve Jewett is seen second from left in the back row. (Photo Credit: Navy Helicopter Association Historical Society)

After the crew had been safely transferred to the Hornet, the UDT men helped guide the helicopter crew in lifting the capsule and related equipment onto the deck of the USS Hornet. The recovery was a complex and high-visibility mission that showcased the capability, precision, and adaptability of special operations forces at the height of the space race.

As with any military operation of the era, coordination was crucial, and the humble wristwatch ensured assets were in lock step.

It's Never Just A Watch - The Tudor Submariner 7928

USN-Issued Tudor with “Coronado Dial” (Photo Credit: Tudor)

Like many of the stories we tell at W.O.E., this was the story about a watch, specifically the military-issued Tudor Submariner 7928s, but it’s so much more than that. It’s really the story of the men, hard men, who played an overshadowed yet crucial role in a history-changing moment. Two human beings, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, walked on the Moon. When they returned to Earth days later, the men most capable of assisting in their safe recovery were the frogmen of the Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams, and the tool most capable of coordinating the operation was the issued Tudor Submariner. In many ways, the watch is the vector to the human element, something this documentary captures well. 

William Jebb, former UDT/SEAL who served on the Apollo recovery program development team. (Photo Credit: Tudor)

Tudor 7928 - Big Watch - Little Pecker

While today SEALs, divers, and combat swimmers are issued digital tool watches like the Casio G-Shock, in the 1960s, the Tudor 7928 was the watch of choice. An excerpt from the official Underwater Demolition Team Handbook from 1965 features the Tudor prominently, worn on the traditional fabric strap.

An excerpt from a 1965 UDT Handbook is shown along with a photo from the Apollo 11 recovery mission.

Speaking with frogmen from the era, many fondly remember being issued the Tudor watch after UDTR or BUD/S graduation, and a select few still have them today. Some will repeat the off-color phrase “big watch, little pecker”, an example of the dark humor often used by serious men to lighten the mood in challenging conditions. For others, the brand name on the dial was insignificant and no different from a knife, tank, or rifle. It was a tool in the truest sense, and all that mattered was that it kept time and worked underwater and in harsh environments. 

The Tudor Submariner reference 7928 holds a special place in the history of military diving, particularly with the U.S. Navy and the early SEAL teams. Issued during the 1960s, the 7928 was favored for its robust construction, legible dial, and dependable automatic movement, traits essential for combat divers operating in the open ocean and the humid jungles. 

USN-Issued Tudor 7928 issued to the late UDT/SEAL Steve “Walrus” Jewett (Photo Credit: Tudor)

While Rolex Submariners were almost certainly also issued, Tudor’s more affordable yet equally capable alternatives made them a practical choice for large-scale procurement. The 7928 featured crown guards and a depth rating of 200 meters, making it well suited for underwater demolition missions. Many existing examples (including my own) show wear from hard use, often equipped with replacement bezels or mismatched or refinished dials, reflecting the realities of military service. Today, issued 7928s with verified provenance are highly sought after by collectors and stand as tangible artifacts from the formative years of the UDT and SEAL community.

Assistant to the executive producer W.O.E. on the right, former SEAL and author of The Terminal List series, Jack Carr, was on hand to provide some of the historical context and tie it to modern Naval Special Warfare. (Photo Credit: Tudor)

Marketing In The Watch Industry

When it comes to marketing in the watch industry, I am very much a cynic. The celebrity endorsements and the champagne-fueled parties in Geneva are effective and a necessary part of the industry, but they're just not what makes me gravitate towards Tudor or any other brand.

Of course, Tudor’s production of this documentary is, at its core, a marketing effort, and they no doubt expect a return on their investment. But the reason this marketing resonates with our community is that it's authentic. When the frogmen of the 1960s strapped on their Tudor watches and jumped into the Pacific or waded into the jungles of Southeast Asia, it wasn’t the product of a brand deal or product placement; they used the watches because they worked.

Marie and Shanda Jewett, the widow and daughter of UDT/SEAL Steve “Walrus” Jewett, hold Jewett’s Tudor Submariner 7928, along with mementos of his service. It's never just a watch. (Photo Credit: Tudor)

Marketing of this type calls back to the old days, when storied Swiss brands like Rolex, Tudor, Omega, and others sold watches with printed advertisements showing divers, explorers, and servicemen, rather than a hot celebrity and a list of specs. Tudor’s video isn’t a commercial as such. The 7928 was discontinued in 1968, and the Tudor Submariner as a whole was discontinued in 1999. If Tudor is selling anything with a video like this, it is the brand’s ethos, a major aspect of which is honoring its history with seminal figures like the frogmen of the Apollo 11 recovery team. It is a type of marketing we can get behind. 

A Lasting Legacy 

John and the other members of the UDT and SEAL team that recovered the astronauts at the height of the Cold War will not be around decades from now, and this documentary, marketing or not, will honor their legacy for generations to come. While I will continue to make fun of the marketing suits in Geneva, the Splashdown documentary shows that they get it right every now and then.

*This post is NOT sponsored by Tudor or anyone else.  All views and opinions are solely our own. 

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