Dispatches | PDW | Prometheus Design Werx

04
/26

Button Compass History: From WWII RAF Escape Kits to Modern Survival EDC

From a downed airman's tunic button to a titanium instrument on your wrist: the button compass is one of the most quietly consequential navigation tools ever made. Left to right: Early British RAF escape compass circa 1942, Luftwaffe escape compass circa 1942, USAF issue escape compass circa 1983, current production Francis Barker FB-1605 NATO survival button compass, 22m and 14mm dive rated polyoxymethylene button compasses. Photo: PDW. Before GPS, Before Maps on Glass:...

Posted by: Patrick Ma

03
/26

Windup in a Bay 2025: Campfires, Cold Water, Watches, and Gear with Marathon Watch Company and Prometheus Design Werx

A field report from the second annual Windup in a Bay expedition, campfire to cold water, Elkhorn Ranch to Carmel coast. The second annual Windup in a Bay expedition brought the Windup spirit straight to the Monterey Bay Area, running in tandem with the Windup Watch Fair San Francisco. This year's adventure wasn't just about diving, it was about building a full-circle experience, starting with a scenic campout at Elkhorn Ranch, and culminating in...

Posted by: Patrick Ma

03
/26

Scepter Military Water Can Hand Pump Conversion: A DIY Overlanding Field Craft Guide

Why a Hand Pump Converts a Scepter Water Can Into a Field Faucet This DIY hand pump conversion using the common 5 gal / 20L Scepter Military Water Can is a highly practical mod for overlanding, road trips, weekend camping, and home emergency water planning. Credit for the original concept goes to a post I first encountered on NorthWestOverlandSociety.org around 2009. That domain has since been deactivated, but the idea deserves its original acknowledgment....

Posted by: Patrick Ma

03
/26

The Birdwatcher: PDW x Watches of Espionage MagnaCut Folding Knife Collab

Originally published by Watches of Espionage. Republished on PDW Dispatches with permission. A Modern MagnaCut Folding Knife Honoring the Origins of the Intelligence Community When it comes to everyday carry, the non-negotiables are a watch, knife, wallet, and keys. These are tools in the truest sense, but more importantly, they are tools with meaning, enduring items and companions in a life well-lived. Over the past year, we worked with Patrick Ma's Prometheus Design Werx...

Posted by: Patrick Ma

03
/26

A Life's Work in Steel and Titanium: The Design Lineage Behind the PDW Invictus Knife

By Patrick York Ma, Founder & Chief Designer, Prometheus Design Werx Every knife I have ever designed began with the same question: what does a perfect working tool actually look like when nothing is arbitrary? Not a collector's piece. Not a display object. Not a product engineered to a price point. A tool conceived from the inside out, where every bevel, every contour, every material choice is a response to a specific problem, and...

Posted by: Patrick Ma