Wenger Compass: repairable, or even removable?

[neillcurrie]

I have a Wenger knife that has the built-in 2-layer compass, the "third" version according to the wiki. It's completely stopped working, I can't get the magnetic indicator to rotate naturally at all, but flicking the compass will get the needle to move a bit, but obviously nowhere near in any usable fashion.
Is the compass repairable, or will it just have to go back to Wenger/Vic. If it is repairable, is there even any way of popping it out of the measuring arm it rests in? I tried quite an amount of force, in both logical directions, and it seems like it'll never come out, though the whole compass body freely moves within the measuring arm.
I tried googling this, but got nowhere.

[basilio]

Short answer: a replacement compass of the same variation you have was actually provided to Wenger's dealers in the past.
I found one once, and was able to replace a broken "Pathfinder" I had.
Small off topic: see attached image.
Very strange defect there: the compass was sealed, but the inner dial was missing .... funny thing when I complained with the seller and he said it was perfect....
Anyway, newer version of the compass (fourth generation and later) can be easly replaced by pushing it out with a finger.
Older models, like yours, requires pushing very hard (with a tool) and usually the compass will break in the process.
Well, at least this is what happened with mine.