Questions about the digital copy of the Sala UG book

In my ongoing study and research of the UG portfolio of vintage watches, and the Tri-Compax (and now TDM) in particular, I have been asked numerous times to consult the hard-to-find, but very useful reference that is the "Universal Geneve Watch" book by Pietro Giuliano Sala.

However, since it is sold out and not available anymore at present (with no signs of being ever being republished, since it probably interests a very, very small demographic of potential "readers"), I was asked by members here to look at the budget version of it which is the online copy.

I went to the site (link here for those interested) recently and found whatever sample pages that were provided to be very useful and insightful. The problem I had, and therefore the reason for creating this thread, is to ask those that have already purchased the digital copy whether:

1 - It is ever updated? (I assume not, since it's pretty much a digital transfer of the physical book, but just checking).
2 - Is it available as a PDF or only browseable in the same way as the sample i.e. via a specific link and within the confines of the online reader that's provided with controls to zoom, flip to the next page, etc.
3 - Does it allow access through a user ID/password and therefore provides advanced capabilities such as bookmarking certain pages etc.?
4 - Does the fully paid digital version allow zooming into higher-resolution scans of the book or is it similar to the sample pages that are shared in the demo book, where the resolution once zoomed in beyond "normal" isn't that great or clear?

Only asking to manage my expectations before I pull the trigger and start reading because I couldn't find specific threads about people's experiences with the digital version.

So now that I've actually bought the digital copy, I thought I'd take the time and update it with my own responses to my original question for the benefit of others.

1 - Since the digital version is essentially a replica of the book as it was when it was published (digital scans), it isn't updated.
2 - There is no PDF. You have a user ID and password and you access the digital book online through the browser with its fixed controls to zoom in/out and flip pages.
3 - While it can be accessed via user ID/password you can only bookmark one page at a time. In this, it is like a traditional bookmark when you are reading a book - as a prop to help you remember when you stopped reading. However, what I was more interested in was in marking specific pages for reference later on and this is not possible. However, if you know which section to look at (e.g. Chronograph watches) then with help from the index, you can easily find what you are looking for.
4 - While you can zoom in, the scanning isn't very high quality. It's sufficient for reading but I guess for those of us who are used to inspecting watches under extreme magnification (like looking at it under a loupe or how detailed Macro images can be) it can feel a little less fulfilling. Still, it's very detailed, with a diverse coverage, so no complaints there.

So far, the book has been enlightening and I am so glad I got it!

Thanks to those that recommended it.

Have you emailed Sala asking if he ever plans to sell a pdf copy itself? If he doesn’t plan on publishing physical copies anymore then it doesn’t seem like a crazy request.

The alternative online option seems pretty annoying to say the least. I guess the fear is selling a pdf could be redistributed for free to the masses but still.

It's a good point. I did mail Sala asking for a copy of the book and he politely responded that none were available anymore (this was a week or so ago). I did not think of asking about a PDF copy and then proceeded with purchasing the online version.

The online version isn't the best experience but it is fit for purpose (as a reference and a historical collection of images) and allows the owners to completely control who can get it (unless people start sharing access/credentials with each other, which isn't outside the realms of possibility). As you've said, the challenge with PDFs is that once it's on a torrent, it can spread like wildfire and can potentially severely constraint the revenue of the publishers/Sala.