S&W 642-1 current vs old production?

I thought the 642-1 was the stainless J-Frame .38 Spl released in '96, then discontinued later with the advent of the IL.

Now I'm seeing new production 642-1's in production since 2008.

So I'm confused. Did the -1 ever go away? If so, and it's back, are the new ones of the same quality as the original -1's? Or are there differences, such as more MIM parts?

Thanks for any insight.