clock museum

Bundy recorders


(later International Time Recording Co. in the US and International Time Recording Co. Ltd. in the UK)

In the USA

The "Bundy Clock Company" was founded in 1875 by Willard Bundy. He was in business as a clock maker and jeweller in Auburn, New York in 1885, and he designed and made a successful "Watchman's Detector".

In 1890 Harlow organised the Bundy Manufacturing Company to produce these time recorders, and registered patents both in New York and London under the Bundy Clock Company, and the British Bundy Clock Company respectively.

1890 Production of Bundy time clocks commenced in US. source CC

1900 The Bundy Manufacturing Co. merged with Willard & Frick Co. and with Standard Time Stamp Co. and formed the "International Time Recording Company of N.Y." (ITR).

1902 Willard Bundy left ITR, moved to Syracuse and founded WH Bundy Record Co. It appears that he sold Bundy recorders and clocks until Simplex acquired the company in 1916.

1911 "Computing Scale Co.", "Tabulating Machine Co. (Hollerith)" and the "International Time Recording Company of N.Y." merged to form "Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co". source IBM

1924 "Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co", or C-T-R as it is usually called, became IBM. source IBM

Meanwhile, in the UK

1890 RS Murray became agent for Bundy

1893 J Ponsford joined Murray to market the Bundy Recorder.

1894 "British Bundy" formed

1900 (circa). "British Bundy" becomes "British Time Recording Co". Source UK-IBM

1912 BTRC becomes "International Time Recording Co. Ltd."(ITR Ltd.)

1924/5 IBM-UK starts to trade alongside ITR Ltd. Mr E Stafford Howard is managing director of both UK companies and brings into ITR Ltd his own "Howard Brothers" clock company, which already incorporated "Dey Time Registers Ltd." (dial recorders). Source IBM

1951 "IBM United Kingdom Co Ltd" created to handle all UK operations including ITR Ltd. Source IBM.

1951 ITR Ltd becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of IBM under name of "IBM United Kingdom Time Systems Ltd." Source Blick

1963 "IBM UK Time Systems Ltd." changed its name back to "International Time Recording Company Ltd" and later changed this to "ITR International Time Ltd" Source Blick

1982 "Blick" take over "ITR International Time Ltd". Source Blick


Part of Barrie's virtual Clock Museum