Lambert Time Recorders
Arthur Lambert was born in 1864 in Dourlers in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, close to the Belgian border. Arthur became a jeweller-watchmaker in his hometown. In 1907, he took to nearby Valenciennes his prototype of a time clock with ‘carte cisaillée’ or ‘cut card’ patent. The first prototypes were put into production around 1908 by the company Denis Frères, based in Saint-Nicolas d’Aliermont. In 1915, during the First World War, Arthur fled to Saint-Nicolas. At the end of the war, his nephew Léon Caron left captivity at Maubeuge, to help Arthur in Saint-Nicolas.
Lambert and Caron’s collaboration began with the production of time recorders in a section of the Denis Frères factory. Denis Frères manufactured component parts of the time recorders, and Lambert’s staff carried out final assembly in an adjacent workshop. By 1920, they were able to purchase a property in which to establish their own factory, which opened in 1922. In the following years, the Enregistreurs Lambert company became one of the leading manufacturers and distributors of time recorders across France and its colonies.
When Arthur Lambert died in 1924, his widow transferred the lead to Léon Caron. In 1930, the company’s name was changed to S. A. R. L. Enregistreurs Lambert. Having been educated in the technical centre of Le Locle, Switzerland, Léon was made co-owner and subsequently, director. Following several internships in various facets of the Lambert company, Léon’s son, Paul Caron became head of the sales department. In this role, he associated with the sale of time recorders with maintenance contracts, by which the company agreed to visit customers twice yearly to verify the proper operation of their equipment.
Additionally, he furthered the distribution of time recorders to companies and public structures, including schools and hospitals. On the death of his father in 1973, Paul Caron took over the business and became CEO of Lambert.
In 1987, Lambert’s factory closed its doors and production ceased. After-sales service and maintenance of Lambert time recording devices was taken over by a company named AGT Systèmes. As of 2011, AGT’s factory was the last remaining factory in Saint-Nicolas d’Aliermont to have a direct link with clock making, manufacturing tools for time control.
Lambert’s style can be exemplified by the cut card recorder, which has a mechanical brass movement and a Graham-type anchor escapement. The dial is enamelled copper and carries both Roman and Arabic numerals. The time recorders’ workings are housed in an oak cabinet with a glazed door. Please see below for photographed examples:
Lambert card clip recorder c. 1920:
This time recorder was collected for me from Paris by John Fothergill, for restoration which I subsequently carried out. It has a very Bundy-like case with an exquisite, enamelled dial and Lambert’s unique card cutting and stamping mechanism
Lambert card clip recorder c. 1930:
A Lambert time recorder found in the UK, restored and photographed by Desmond Bull
