 Why was Si given a symbolic gold watch by the Department of Space Exploration?
They also had a banquet for him, complete with speeches by such bigwigs of the Department of Space Exploration as Academician Lofting Gubelin and Doctor Hans Girard-Perregaux. His explanation was that a phobia against having his eyes touched prohibited either surgery to remould his eyeballs and cure his myopia, or contact lenses. If it is admitted that our organization has degenerated to the point that we haven't a single pilot, then it might well be that the Economic Planning Board, and especially those cloddies on Appropriations, will terminate the whole Department of Space Exploration." Two weeks later, Rod had burned on a faulty take-off on what should have been a routine Moon run. Law prevented him from ever being called up for contributing to the country's labor needs again.
 He was retiring from the Department.
 He had just successfully completed a dangerous space mission that they were impressed with.  As an apology for the difficult task he had to complete while in space.  He was retiring from the Department.  As a means to convince him to stay on with the Department and continue completing missions.