In 1894, a young engineer working for a Gardner, Massachusetts furniture manufacturer turned his energy towards finding a better way to record the time and attendance of his company’s employees. E.G. Watkins’ hard work and ingenuity led to the invention of the Simplex time clock, the first accurate and easy to use time recording system – and to the creation of the Simplex Time Recorder Company. Simplex Time Recorder operated under the private ownership of the Watkins family for over a century, expanding into the fire alarm and building systems business in the 1950s. In December of 2000, Simplex became part of Tyco International, a global leader in the fire protection and security solutions industries. Today, Simplex is one of the most trusted brands in the fire protection industry and customers around the world rely on Simplex systems to help keep their people and their property safe every day.