The Crownless Travel Watch: Rado HyperChrome Touch Dual Timer R32114152

Walter Ponce
Jul 21
3 min read

When you’ve spent enough years around watches, you start to believe you’ve seen it all. Crown at three o’clock? Standard. Some funky pushers at two and four? Fair enough. But what if I told you there’s a Swiss-made, dual-time-zone watch with no crown at all? That’s exactly what I found — quite literally — during a business trip to Miami.

How I Discovered This Rado

It all started at a casual dinner with colleagues. Across the table, one of them was wearing something sleek, black, and quietly futuristic. I couldn’t help but notice: no crown. That’s not something a watch enthusiast overlooks.

Naturally, I asked.That’s when he showed me. A swipe here, a tap there — the hands moved without ever pulling a crown or pressing a button. Time zones swapped with a gesture. I was sold then and there. Within days, I had my own Rado HyperChrome Touch Dual Timer R32114152 on its way.

This isn’t just another ceramic Rado. It’s one of the brand’s most underrated technical innovations — and still feels futuristic a decade after its release.

A Quick Look at Rado’s Ceramic Legacy

Before we dive into the details, it’s worth remembering what Rado brings to the table. They’ve been pioneers of high-tech ceramics since the 1980s, pushing boundaries with materials that are lightweight, hypoallergenic, and virtually scratch-proof. The HyperChrome collection, launched in 2012, represents the culmination of that expertise: monobloc ceramic cases that don’t just look sleek — they wear beautifully.

What Makes the Touch Dual Timer Special?

Released in 2014, the HyperChrome Touch Dual Timer takes Rado’s ceramic know-how and adds something genuinely unique: crownless touch control. No crown. No pushers. Instead, six touch-sensitive zones on the ceramic case allow you to control the time — on two different time zones, no less.

Design and Specs at a Glance:

Case: 42mm, high-tech black ceramic
Thickness: Just over 10mm, surprisingly slim
Bracelet: Matching black ceramic with a titanium deployant clasp
Water Resistance: 50 meters
Crystal: Sapphire, AR-coated
Movement: ETA F11.001 Quartz (10 jewels)
Functions: Dual time zone, minutes synchronized, 15-minute increments, instant swap

On the dial, things are kept clean and functional. Rhodium-plated indices and hands, subtle lume, and a small sub-dial at six o’clock for your second time zone. No running seconds, no date, no distractions.

How Does It Work?

This is where the watch gets fun — and polarizing, depending on your views on quartz and innovation.

Setting the time:

Touch and hold at 10 o’clock to activate the main time zone.
Swipe down on the case to confirm.
Swipe up/down to adjust hours on one side; minutes on the other.

Second time zone?

Hold at 8 o’clock.
Same gestures apply, but with the sub-dial.

Need to swap between home and local time? Just press both sides at 3 and 9 o’clock simultaneously. The two dials switch places. It’s fast, intuitive once you learn it, and incredibly useful when traveling.

Oh, and yes — it even handles those tricky 15-minute time zones like India or Nepal.

How It Wears

If you’ve worn ceramic before, you’ll know what to expect: lightweight, smooth, warm against the skin, and almost immune to scratches. The absence of a crown also makes this watch ridiculously comfortable — nothing digging into your wrist, nothing to snag on your cuff.

At 42mm, it’s a modern size but wears smaller thanks to the sleek case design and short lugs. The bracelet feels integrated and fluid, like all good ceramic pieces should.

Why It’s Underrated

At launch, this watch retailed for around $2,800. Today? You’ll find it floating between $1,000 and $1,600 depending on condition. That’s a bargain for a high-tech ceramic piece with this level of innovation.Sure, it’s quartz — but the movement was specifically chosen to enable things a mechanical GMT could never do. Quarter-hour adjustments, touch control, and instant swap? Good luck finding that in a mechanical package at any price.

And while this didn’t revolutionize the industry (crownless watches didn’t suddenly become the norm), it stands as a testament to Rado’s forward-thinking spirit.

Final Thoughts: The Travel Watch That Feels Like the Future

In a world full of steel sports watches and vintage reissues, the Rado HyperChrome Touch Dual Timer still feels fresh, futuristic, and genuinely useful. If you travel across time zones, appreciate clever engineering, or simply want something that stands out from the crowd — this might just be your sleeper hit.

For me, it’s not just about the tech. It’s about the story: a dinner in Miami, a curious glance across the table, and a discovery that turned into one of the most unexpected additions to my collection.