diff --git a/e2e/panes.spec.ts b/e2e/panes.spec.ts
index fc47aaf..c4dfd49 100644
--- a/e2e/panes.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/panes.spec.ts
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ test('sim clock ticks smoothly between polls — seconds advance without waiting
   const sample = async () => {
     const text = ((await clock.textContent()) ?? '').trim();
     expect(text, `clock format: ${text}`).toMatch(/^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} \d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2} UTC$/);
-    return Date.parse(`${text.replace(' ', 'T')}Z`);
+    return Date.parse(text.replace(' ', 'T').replace(' UTC', 'Z'));
   };
 
   // Three samples ~1.3 s apart real time: at scale 1000 each gap is ≈1300 game seconds, so the