I have one of the PAT 11 NR rear derailleurs and I too had heard that the 11 signified a warranty replacement part, but I've always wondered about that. In the case of the infamous crank arms, that might seem logical, but a NR rear-d? I don't recall any history of these being prone to breaking or failing in some way. How many "bad" ones would it take to justify a special production run of replacements? The unit I have was given to me by a friend who found it in a second-hand shop in Italy. It was brand new, in it's original box with the original instruction sheet. Exactly the same as any other new derailleur would be. Certainly looks like it was meant for commercial sale as opposed to warranty replacement.
As I started to think about it, the only PAT 11 components I've seen have been the "last" of their generation. My NR rear-d follows suit. Of course, now Mark identifies two crank styles with the 11, grooved and non-grooved arms. The non-grooved arms were the last of the SR run, but what about the others Mark mentions? Could they, indeed, have also been manufactured in the last year? What other markings, if any, appear on other non-grooved arms? What other components have the PAT 11 identifier and which models do they appear on?
I just have an inquiring mind, I guess. And if the CR collective can't figure this, no one can. But then again, the more I learn about the Campy timeline (the real-time one, not Chuck's fine chronology), the more I realize that, with Campy, nothing is absolute.
Wayne Bingham
82F degrees in DC yesterday, 40 tomorrow!