Wonderful story Michael. I’m lucky to have both a soldier's pocket watch from my grandpa (WWI) and an army compass from my dad (WWII). I remember that 10yo yearning for something - it was really delicious - my dad always came through even if we couldn’t afford it or if he thought it was silly.

Your Big Ben reminds me of something my kid wanted super bad - Ben Ten Omnitrix. It was a cartoon and you wore it like a watch and it allowed him to turn into different aliens. We built one together and he bought one off eBay and went as Ben Ten for Halloween in college. Those memories stick.

I wrote about my grandpas watches awhile back and hopefully my son gets them someday. They still work and that compass will work forever - no parts to wear out and no vice grips needed!