Brooklands watch is a tribute to legendary racehorse Golden Miller

Chronographs are inextricably linked with motor sport these days, but five years after Louis Moinet invented the function in 1816, Louis XVIII’s watchmaker Nicolas Rieussec developed a contraption that enabled his highness to time his favourite racehorses. Housed in a mahogany box, the device featured two rotating paper discs and an ink dropper that marked them in order to record elapsed time down to the nearest second.

Since ‘chronograph’ is a contraction of two Greek words meaning ‘time’ and ‘write’, Rieussec’s creation was certainly worthy of the name – and now the Brooklands Watch Company has brought the story full circle with the launch of The Golden Miller, an equine-inspired chronograph for the wrist.

Brooklands made the watch at the request of the historic Jockey Club which wanted to celebrate the achievements of heiress Dorothy Paget’s Golden Miller, one of the greatest British racehorses of all time.

As well as being famed for her love of racing, Paget also became known for her sponsorship of Tim Birkin and his fellow Bentley Boys, notably for financing the creation of the five 4.5-litre ‘Blowers’ for racing.

But four-legged horsepower was always Paget’s greatest passion and, in 1931, the 26-year-old tycoon bought a brace of racehorses from noted breeder Basil Briscoe – Insurance and Golden Miller.

The latter proved to be phenomenally successful, winning the prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup on no fewer than five occasions between 1932 and 1936 and, in 1934, the Grand National as well. Golden Miller remains the only horse to have won the two major steeplechase races in the same season, and it was also the year in which Paget placed three £10,000 bets that it would win the Gold Cup for a third time; would win the Grand National, and would win both the Gold Cup and the Grand National.

It was an unusually successful run for the eccentric Paget, who went down in horse racing history as a record-breaking loser who once laid bets of £108,000 in a single afternoon – the equivalent today of more than £3m. That said, her horses did bring her 1532 victories (including seven Gold Cups and one Derby) with Golden Miller probably being her best equine investment.

The Golden Miller celebrates the mighty beast with a case back featuring two lines of blue and yellow sapphires (representing Paget’s racing colours) arranged in the formation of nails in a horseshoe.

The strap buckle, meanwhile, is made from an alloy containing metal from one of Golden Miller’s shoes, and the watch is supplied in a box fitted with bridle leather closures and containing a badge in the style of the one Paget would have worn at Cheltenham in 1934.

Each watch is also delivered with an image of Golden Miller painted by Emily Johnson – the Jockey Club’s artist in residence – in the style of a 1930s cigarette card.

Just 100 watches will be made, each priced at £6800. Which is probably less than Paget would have spent on her post-race cucumber sandwiches.

Brooklands The Golden Miller, £6800. brooklandswatches.com