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Kim Kardashian may question whether man ever really walked on the Moon, but the rest of humanity has seen — and remembers vividly — Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s first steps on the lunar surface in 1969. What few people know is what happened after their historic mission, when the astronauts splashed down somewhere in the Pacific. There, amid roaring waves and strong currents, a team of Navy frogmen awaited the Apollo 11 crew to bring them safely back to Earth. This is the forgotten story that Tudor now brings to light in Splashdown.
The film tells the story of the UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams) and Navy SEALs who supported NASA’s Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs throughout the 1960s and ’70s. These were the men entrusted with the most crucial phase of every mission — the safe recovery of the astronauts after splashdown. In truth, they were the final link in a chain that began on Earth, reached the Moon, and ended again in the ocean.
In Splashdown, viewers hear firsthand accounts from former UDT/SEAL members such as John McLachlan, Wesley Chesser and William Jebb, as well as from Marie Jewett, wife of Steven Philip Jewett, one of the divers involved in the Apollo 12 and 13 recoveries. Through their voices, the heroism, precision and composure behind each mission come alive. The divers faced extreme conditions — darkness, rough seas, sharks, time pressure — and the weight of the entire world watching. “We didn’t want to screw up, because the whole world was watching,” recalls McLachlan.
“I remember looking at the horizon and seeing the fireball of the command module re-entering the atmosphere. It looked like a comet — it was magical,” says Wesley T. Chesser. “We saw three parachutes opening, then the capsule hitting the water upside down before the airbags righted it.” One diver attached a sea anchor — essentially a parachute — to stabilize the capsule, while others secured a large inflatable collar around it. Their gear was heavy and elaborate: steel air tanks, parachutes, knives, fins, masks, diving suits — and, of course, a Tudor watch.
“The watch was as important as any other piece of equipment,” Chesser explains. “Its reliability was critical. I wore it all the time, even in the shower. In the dark, the luminous dial told us the time; the rotating bezel helped us track every minute underwater.”
Each diver wore a Tudor on his wrist — a tool watch as tough and dependable as its wearer. Those watches became silent witnesses to an era that united land and space, water and fire, mechanical precision and human courage.
For former Navy SEAL and #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr, “those Tudors are genuine historical artifacts. Every scratch tells a story. Mine was made before I was born, and yet it carries within it a life fully lived.”
As Marie Jewett recalls, “We had no idea how significant those Tudors were.” The men relied on their watches for everything: navigation, timing, survival. She still remembers the day she met her husband, with the watch gleaming on his wrist. “He loved it. He was so proud of it. He treasured it and he always wore it. To me it is a testament to everything that they all went through”.
With Splashdown, Tudor doesn’t just revisit history. It honors the men who, away from the spotlight, kept the dream of exploration alive. It reminds us that behind every great human leap, there are those who make it possible; and a trusted watch quietly measuring every second of it.
Watch the Tudor Splashdown documentary on the brand’s official YouTube channel.
