There are nonlinear dials with larger, clearly-marked steps for short periods (often only a few seconds), then larger steps.

See: e.g. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61-ZBoSyt0L... https://media.primasupply.com/25104-38090/cms/38090/files/8c...

DDG image search: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=micrave+dial+timer&iax=images&ia=i...