Blick Time Recorders

Blick Time Stamp

Though not a manufacturer, Blick sold all manner of UK-made clocks and became the largest marketing and service time recorder company.

The business started life around 1900 as Blick Typewriter Company Ltd, selling the USA-made ‘Blickensderfer’ typewriter, from which their name was derived. In 1917, the managing director of Blick (Mr. E. Remington) bought the sales rights to the Follett time stamp. Having successfully marketed this product, a subsidiary company called ‘Blick Time Recording Devices’ was established. By 1920, Remington had met Mr. Lowe, the director of the National Time Recorder Company. Together, they agreed to market their machines as ‘Blick National’ in the UK. The company was established as ‘Blick Time Recorders Ltd’ in 1922, under company number 181585. Later, the word ‘National’ was dropped from their trading name, with all machines sold from 1927 onwards simply labelled ‘Blick’.

Blick time recorder waterfall front
An example of a 1950s NTR clock where Blick have ‘customised’ the ornate cast iron waterfall front with their name and own unique design.

Dufay Ltd acquired Blick in 1963, followed by British Time Recorders around 1964. In 1966, Dufay sold its time recorder investments.

Dufay’s managing director, Alan Elliot, bought the time recorder business back to form Blick Time Recorder Holdings Ltd. In 1972, Blick bought the National Time Recorder Company. Following another change of name in 1978 to Blick International Systems Ltd, they also acquired ITR International Time Ltd in 1982.

In 1986, the holding company became Blick PLC. The ‘Blick’ name eventually disappeared from time attendance products in 2004, when they were acquired by The Stanley Works to form part of Stanley Security Solutions Group.

As a distributor of various makes of UK time recorders and not a manufacturer, all ‘Blick’ named clocks have been listed on the NTR and Stockall pages.