A cigar cutter watch fob is a decorative and utilitarian pendant that is attached to the opposite side of a chain as a

pocket watch A pocket watch (or pocketwatch) is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a watch, wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist. They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wr ...

. It is used to cleanly cut the end of a

cigar A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder l ...

so it burns evenly.

es were the most common type of portable timepiece from their invention in the 1500s right up until the advent of the wristwatch after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.Belcher, David. "Wrist Watches: From Battlefield to Fashion Accessory". ''The New York Times''. The New York Times Company; 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 3 May 2018. The first wristwatches were modified pocket watches with flanges attached to their sides to which a band was attached. Pocket watches typically were connected to a fob or a chain, and as the popularity and production of the timepieces increased, so did the production of various types of decorative watch fobs. In the 19th and 20th centuries over 500 million pocket watches of various types and qualities were produced in America. This number was far surpassed by watch production in Europe, with an estimated 400,000 pocket watches produced each year. With the standardization of time, men and women of all classes throughout the world used these time keeping devices. Both men's and women's watches were commonly attached to decorative fobs. However, because women were discouraged from smoking in public, it was primarily men who wore the cigar cutter variety. The men's pocket watch was most ordinarily carried in a watch pocket (still seen today in some suit vests and most jeans). It was almost always attached to a chain to secure the pocket watch against falling or theft while still having it readily available. Fobs at the ends of these chains became prevalent for various reasons, one of which was to hold a cigar cutter for men to prepare their cigars for smoking. The cigar cutter trimmed the end of the cigar with a knife blade, scissors or slicer and/or poked a hole with a sharp needle-like piercer."Patent Issued for Cigar Cutter (USPTO 9883694)." ''Journal of Engineering'', 19 Feb. 2018, p. 2800. ''Academic OneFile''. Accessed 4 May 2018. The watch fob version of the cigar cutter falls into similar categories as those of the larger handheld or countertop

cigar cutter A cigar cutter is a machine, mechanical device designed to cutting, cut one end off a cigar so that it may be properly smoking, smoked. Although some cigars are cut on both ends, or twirled at both ends, the vast majority come with one straight cut ...

s. * Guillotine (straight cut/single or double blades) * Punch cut * Piercer * Knives * Wedge cut (a.k.a. notch cut, cat's eye, V cut, English cut) What separates cigar cutter watch fobs from any other cigar cutters are their size. First, it must fit on the end of chain or leather strap and second, it needs to have a ring or small hole to attach it to that chain or strap. The fob was ordinarily left to dangle on the outside of the vest or trouser pocket to be worn as a status symbol and/or to make it easier to grasp and retrieve the watch. As pocket watches proliferated, cigar cutter watch fobs frequently became a status symbol. Elaborate workmanship with intricate carvings, precious gems, and a wide diversity of design categories, gives them a miniaturized and mechanized beauty that outweighs their function. Many of these fobs have a sense of whimsy and are considered fine art pieces created to showcase the craftsman's imagination and ingenuity. They were made of range from fine metals like gold, silver and platinum, while more affordable versions were forged of baser metals like brass, copper and steel.Grauer, Neil. “Making The Cut: Cigar Cutters.” May–June 1997. ''Cigar Aficionado''. Web. May 5, 2018. The use of pocket watches has all but disappeared but there is still a lively marketplace for discerning collectors. As an adjunct endeavor there are also a number of discriminating collectors of cigar cutter watch fobs.

References

{{reflist Watches Cigars Types of jewellery Cutting tools