Sorry for my imprecise expression, the housing of the compass is of course nice n solid brass! What i wanted to say is, that the compass is a simple one and the only difference to other cheap ones is the "nice packaging" it comes in. The only advantage is that it's tougher and looks nicer, but that's about it.
I got this one about a year ago: http://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/brass-marbles-1-compass-769-p.asp
Whew!!! Thanks so much for the clarification! If that's what it is, then i'm OK. I really wanted something simple, but really tough with "character".
I have dozens of polycarbonate compasses as well as a really nice US Army issue lensatic compass (as in issued to me and i 'horse-traded' with the Supply Sergeant to keep it), but they either lack character, are too cumbersome in carry or not durable (in the way i like things to be durable) for what i want.