I think it was an upgrade from the mid to late 80's when people started to really find out that the Stronglight needle bearing headsets were so bullet-proof, people started to put them on their bikes no matter what brand bikes they were riding. Just like when lots or cyclists went over to Simplex Retrofriction shifters, including many pros when they discovered how much better they worked compared to regular friction shifters. If you want to go back to an Italian headset, you might consider Miche's Primato headset, which has needle bearing in it too. An Italian copy of the Stronglights....