diff --git a/shell/plugins/panels/clock/BarWidget.qml b/shell/plugins/panels/clock/BarWidget.qml
index 92f0ae56..e33486e5 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/panels/clock/BarWidget.qml
+++ b/shell/plugins/panels/clock/BarWidget.qml
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ BarWidget {
   // What the bar shows is what shell.json stores, so a cycled format is the
   // format from then on rather than something that reverts on restart.
   readonly property string activeFormat: configuredFormat
+
+  // A seconds label needs the clock to tick sixty times as often, and a
+  // repaint a second is a price only the formats that print seconds pay.
+  readonly property bool showsSeconds: Model.clockNeedsSeconds(activeFormat)
   readonly property string displayText: formatted(displayDate)
   readonly property var verticalLines: displayText.split("\n")
 
@@ -111,7 +115,7 @@ BarWidget {
 
   SystemClock {
     id: clock
-    precision: SystemClock.Minutes
+    precision: root.showsSeconds ? SystemClock.Seconds : SystemClock.Minutes
     onDateChanged: root.displayDate = date
   }
 
diff --git a/shell/plugins/panels/clock/Model.js b/shell/plugins/panels/clock/Model.js
index 9607a4a6..58d767f1 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/panels/clock/Model.js
+++ b/shell/plugins/panels/clock/Model.js
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ var WEEKDAY_NAMES = ["sunday", "monday", "tuesday", "wednesday", "thursday", "fr
 var CLOCK_FORMATS = [
   "dddd HH:mm",
   "dddd h:mm AP",
+  "dddd HH:mm:ss",
+  "dddd h:mm:ss AP",
   "HH:mm",
   "h:mm AP",
   "ddd d MMM HH:mm",
@@ -39,6 +41,15 @@ var VERTICAL_CLOCK_FORMATS = [
   "HH\nmm"
 ]
 
+// Whether a format prints seconds, so the widget can tick once a second only
+// for the formats that show them. Quoted literals go first: the s in a 'Sat'
+// is text rather than a token, and an opening quote with no closing one runs
+// to the end of the format the way Qt reads it.
+function clockNeedsSeconds(format) {
+  var text = String(format === undefined || format === null ? "" : format)
+  return /s/.test(text.replace(/'[^']*'?/g, ""))
+}
+
 function clockFormats(vertical) {
   return vertical ? VERTICAL_CLOCK_FORMATS.slice() : CLOCK_FORMATS.slice()
 }
@@ -289,6 +300,7 @@ if (typeof module !== "undefined") {
     monthGrid: monthGrid,
     stepMonth: stepMonth,
     clockFormats: clockFormats,
+    clockNeedsSeconds: clockNeedsSeconds,
     clockFormatRing: clockFormatRing,
     nextClockFormat: nextClockFormat,
     isoWeekLiteral: isoWeekLiteral
diff --git a/test/shell.d/clock-test.sh b/test/shell.d/clock-test.sh
index 582f7736..e10d62f1 100755
--- a/test/shell.d/clock-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/clock-test.sh
@@ -8,7 +8,10 @@ run_node_test <<'JS'
 const fs = require('fs')
 const calendar = requireFromRoot('shell/plugins/panels/clock/Model.js')
 const panelSource = fs.readFileSync(root + '/shell/plugins/panels/clock/Panel.qml', 'utf8')
+// Comments stripped: a wiring assertion that a commented-out line can satisfy
+// passes while the widget is broken.
 const widgetSource = fs.readFileSync(root + '/shell/plugins/panels/clock/BarWidget.qml', 'utf8')
+  .replace(/^\s*\/\/.*$/gm, '')
 
 // ---- week start resolution
 assertEqual(calendar.normalizedWeekStart('monday', 0), 1, 'calendar reads a named week start')
@@ -145,6 +148,7 @@ assertDeepEqual(
   calendar.clockFormats(false),
   [
     'dddd HH:mm', 'dddd h:mm AP',
+    'dddd HH:mm:ss', 'dddd h:mm:ss AP',
     'HH:mm', 'h:mm AP',
     'ddd d MMM HH:mm', 'ddd d MMM h:mm AP',
     "d MMMM 'W'ww yyyy",
@@ -166,6 +170,23 @@ assertEqual(
 )
 assertEqual(calendar.isoWeekLiteral(2026, 0, 5), '02', 'clock zero-pads the ISO week token')
 
+// ---- seconds detection, which decides how often the widget's clock ticks
+assert(calendar.clockNeedsSeconds('dddd HH:mm:ss'), 'clock sees seconds in the live preset')
+assert(calendar.clockNeedsSeconds('h:mm:ss AP'), 'clock sees seconds in an AM/PM format')
+assert(!calendar.clockNeedsSeconds('dddd HH:mm'), 'clock sees no seconds in a minute format')
+assert(!calendar.clockNeedsSeconds("d MMMM 'W'ww yyyy"), 'clock sees no seconds in the long date format')
+assert(!calendar.clockNeedsSeconds("dd\nMMM\n'W'ww\n''yy"), 'clock sees no seconds in the stacked date format')
+assert(!calendar.clockNeedsSeconds("HH:mm 'since'"), 'clock reads an s inside a quoted literal as text')
+// Qt reads an opening quote with no closing one as a literal running to the end
+// of the format, so "HH:mm 'sec" prints "09:39 sec" and never a second count.
+assert(!calendar.clockNeedsSeconds("HH:mm 'sec"), 'clock reads an unterminated literal as text to the end')
+assert(!calendar.clockNeedsSeconds("HH:mm's"), 'clock reads a trailing unterminated literal as text')
+// The doubled quote is a literal apostrophe rather than an empty literal, so
+// the s after it is still the seconds token: Qt prints "'23".
+assert(calendar.clockNeedsSeconds("''s"), 'clock still sees seconds after an escaped apostrophe')
+assert(!calendar.clockNeedsSeconds(''), 'clock sees no seconds in an empty format')
+assert(!calendar.clockNeedsSeconds(null), 'clock sees no seconds in a missing format')
+
 // ---- widget wiring
 assert(/moduleName: "omarchy\.clock"/.test(panelSource), 'calendar panel declares its module name')
 assert(/ipcTarget: "omarchy\.clock"/.test(panelSource), 'calendar panel registers its IPC target')
@@ -173,6 +194,12 @@ assert(/manageIpc: false/.test(panelSource), 'calendar panel leaves the IPC targ
 assert(/anchorItem: root\.anchorItem/.test(panelSource), 'calendar panel anchors to the host widget button')
 assert(/function toggleWeekStart\(\)/.test(panelSource), 'calendar panel exposes a week start toggle')
 assert(/function toggleWeekStart\(\): void \{ root\.toggleWeekStart\(\) \}/.test(widgetSource), 'clock exposes the week start toggle over IPC')
+assert(/precision: root\.showsSeconds \? SystemClock\.Seconds : SystemClock\.Minutes/.test(widgetSource), 'clock ticks per second only for a format that prints seconds')
+// Both halves of the tick, because either one alone can be true while the
+// label sits frozen: the precision must follow the format, and every tick
+// must reach the label.
+assert(/showsSeconds: Model\.clockNeedsSeconds\(activeFormat\)/.test(widgetSource), 'clock decides its tick rate from the format it is showing')
+assert(/onDateChanged: root\.displayDate = date/.test(widgetSource), 'clock repaints the label on every tick')
 assert(/setting\("weekStartDay", null\)/.test(panelSource) && /persistSettings\(\{ weekStartDay:/.test(panelSource), 'calendar reads and writes the week start as weekStartDay')
 assert(/updateEntryInline/.test(panelSource), 'calendar panel persists the week start to shell.json')
 assert(/function moveMonth\(delta\)/.test(panelSource), 'calendar panel steps between months')