The Birdwatcher - PDW x W.O.E.

A Modern MagnaCut Folding Knife Honoring The Origins Of The Intelligence Community 

When it comes to everyday carry (EDC), my 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 as I strive for a life well-lived. Over the past year, we worked with Patrick Ma’s Prometheus Design Werx to design The Birdwatcher, a folding blade for our community, with subtle but significant cues honoring our heritage and those who came before us.  

The Birdwatcher is a low-profile folding knife collaboratively designed with PDW, featuring a premium MagnaCut blade with a titanium frame lock. Most importantly, it contains dive watch-inspired details and a laser-etched topo map of Camp X, a WWII paramilitary installation used for training the British SOE and United States OSS.

Blades & Bezels

Knives and watches have a number of important parallels and real meaning in our community. Both are utilitarian tools that are among the most basic components of any EDC, whether for a commando or a suburban dad. Like mechanical watches, the best knives showcase artistry, craftsmanship, materials, and heritage without sacrificing utility. 

We’ve discussed the close relationship between watches and knives in a Dispatch, Bezels & Blades, and also explored the important role played by a knife in a Case Officer’s everyday carry. When I was at CIA, a folding knife was an essential part of my EDC, used for a myriad of mundane daily tasks while also providing peace of mind in the event of more extreme scenarios. 

Intelligence Officers & Blades During World War II 

The link between watches, knives, and the Intelligence Community is nothing new. As modern intelligence tradecraft took shape during the Second World War with the formation of the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) and American OSS (Office of Strategic Services), knives and watches were essential, often issued tools. A sturdy wristwatch ensured operations and meetings with sources were conducted in coordination with broader military strategy, and knives provided utility as well as a more discreet means of self-defense than carrying an M3 grease gun in occupied France. 

British commandos train with a Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife fighting knife during the Second World War. Photo Credit: Imperial War Museum (left) and James Rupley/Spy Museum (right).

Where the Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife became legendary as a fixed blade dagger with only one intended purpose, many operations required a more subtle approach, which is where folding knives came in. During WWII, the British military designed a rare escape-oriented multitool called the MI9, a folder with wire cutters, a lock breaker, and an array of hacksaw and straight blades. The reasoning was simple. An Intelligence Officer conducting sabotage operations in Norway in the early 1940s wouldn’t be challenged by the Germans for carrying something that looked more or less like a pocket knife, and the same is true today. 

The British MI9 was a specialized folding tool designed for escape and evasion. (Photo Credit: Invaluable)

The “Birdwatchers” In Intelligence

In espionage slang, a "birdwatcher" is/was an informal term for “spy” used by British intelligence and a tongue-in-cheek reference to someone involved in collecting intelligence and watching others. The term gained traction during the Cold War, particularly among British intelligence circles, and was used to refer to case officers and counterintelligence officers in particular. Like real birdwatchers, these individuals were patient, detail-oriented, and skilled at identifying patterns.

With much of what we now consider modern intelligence tradecraft coming directly from the SOE’s pioneering efforts during WWII and later the Cold War, this name honors that heritage. The name is also subtle and benign compared to many of the overtly tactical names out there in the knife world. Being low-profile is key. 

The Development Of The Birdwatcher 

Following the success of the Mosebey Blade, our take on a traditional gentleman's knife, we set our sights on developing a modern folding knife tailor-made for the needs of our community. We acknowledge that no one needs a premium folding knife with a MagnaCut blade in much the same way that no one needs a Tudor Pelagos to tell the time. A Casio F91W and a gas station folder would do the job just as well as a Rolex and a Birdwatcher. However, Use Your Tools is just as much about culture as it is about utility. 

To achieve our objective, we partnered with Patrick York Ma and Prometheus Design Werx/PDW, a like-minded company we have long admired for its collection of EDC gear, instruments, and folding knives. If you’ve never heard of Patrick, suffice it to say that he is a legend in the knife community and has a unique ability to translate our requirements into a custom design.

The PDW x W.O.E. Birdwatcher is the result of over one year of development and testing, a modern folding blade made to our exacting standards from the most premium materials available. Like everything we do at W.O.E., the Birdwatcher comes with a history lesson.

Camp X Topographical Map

Laser-engraved topographical contours on the titanium frame-locking side are taken directly from period maps of Camp X, a British training camp in Canada that trained Allied agents from the SOE and the American OSS during WWII. A billet titanium pocket clip is engraved with the W.O.E. Spearhead as well as the PDW’s SPD Kraken Trident logo. 

A period photo of Camp X, a secret training facility for SOE and OSS officers used during WWII.

For the 3.5 IN (8.9 CM) modified drop point blade, we were able to secure one of the final orders of CPM MagnaCut before Crucible Industries ended production. MagnaCut is a premium US-made blade steel renowned for its combination of edge retention, durability, and corrosion resistance, traits that seldom go hand in hand. Dual thumb studs are modeled after dive watch crowns and complete with luminescent material for easier orientation and opening in dark environments. 

The Birdwatcher’s opposite scale is made from G10, a high-pressure thermoset plastic laminate CNC-machined with a texture allowing for excellent retention and dexterity while being available in two colors: Black and OD Green. 

Produced in extremely limited numbers, the Birdwatcher is continued evidence of our drive to create capable custom EDC tools honoring the heritage of the W.O.E. community.

Click HERE to learn more about the Birdwatcher.