Thank you VERY much for posting. The Youtube video and your description along with photos are VERY enlightening.
I own two SP PV-8 hubs, bought my first one (36H) in April 2013, at that time I could not find a seller in USA, bought it shipped from Taiwan. I bought it based on a couple write ups from Europe. The center band of the hub that is between the flanges where there is text and direction arrows is like your late 2015 version, this hub also is curved like yours, not flat. Bought my second one (32H) in March 2017, that one has a center band that is flat like the one in the older Youtube video that you cited.
After watching the video and looking at your photos, I looked at my two hubs. My first (2013) one has wrench flats on the ends like in the Youtube video. But my newer one (early 2017) is like your late 2015 version, no wrench flats, thus likely press fit.
Thus, they have made some changes on at least two occasions, one of those changes was before your hub was built, one was later, yours has the older curved center band and the later press fit ends.
Perhaps the flat band in the middle on the newer design coincides with the twist lock to connect the shell halves where the rounded band in the middle was part of the "easter egg" connection that you described? Or, maybe the twist lock is specific to the disc version, we might find out some day.
A translated version of this article is one of the reasons I decided to buy my first SP hub in 2013, this link also shows a partially disassembled one with the curved center band and threaded axle.
https://fahrradzukunft.de/14/neue-nabendynamos-im-test/
I have always been a bit nervous about non-user serviceable components. That is why on three of my bikes I use the Shimano rear XT steel axle cup and cone (with quarter inch ball bearings) hubs. Two of those three hubs are on touring bikes, the third used to also be on a touring bike. Thus have carried more than the average amount of weight.
I am a bit less nervous now about my decision to buy a couple SP hubs, but I still would rather not make the repair that you made, but I would feel better about trying it.
Last edited by Tourist in MSN; 10-26-19 at 04:50 PM.