diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_ed.cc b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_ed.cc
index 6af4c37f70..4303f1eab6 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_ed.cc
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/ardour_ui_ed.cc
@@ -460,22 +460,22 @@ ARDOUR_UI::install_actions ()
 	ActionManager::session_sensitive_actions.push_back (act);
 	ActionManager::transport_sensitive_actions.push_back (act);
 
-	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("primary-clock-timecode"), _("Timecode"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(primary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::Timecode));
+	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("primary-clock-timecode"), _("Timecode"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(primary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::Timecode, false));
 	ActionManager::session_sensitive_actions.push_back (act);
-	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("primary-clock-bbt"), _("Bars & Beats"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(primary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::BBT));
+	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("primary-clock-bbt"), _("Bars & Beats"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(primary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::BBT, false));
 	ActionManager::session_sensitive_actions.push_back (act);
-	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("primary-clock-minsec"), _("Minutes & Seconds"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(primary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::MinSec));
+	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("primary-clock-minsec"), _("Minutes & Seconds"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(primary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::MinSec, false));
 	ActionManager::session_sensitive_actions.push_back (act);
-	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("primary-clock-samples"), _("Samples"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(primary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::Frames));
+	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("primary-clock-samples"), _("Samples"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(primary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::Frames, false));
 	ActionManager::session_sensitive_actions.push_back (act);
 
-	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("secondary-clock-timecode"), _("Timecode"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(secondary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::Timecode));
+	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("secondary-clock-timecode"), _("Timecode"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(secondary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::Timecode, false));
 	ActionManager::session_sensitive_actions.push_back (act);
-	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("secondary-clock-bbt"), _("Bars & Beats"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(secondary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::BBT));
+	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("secondary-clock-bbt"), _("Bars & Beats"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(secondary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::BBT, false));
 	ActionManager::session_sensitive_actions.push_back (act);
-	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("secondary-clock-minsec"), _("Minutes & Seconds"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(secondary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::MinSec));
+	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("secondary-clock-minsec"), _("Minutes & Seconds"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(secondary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::MinSec, false));
 	ActionManager::session_sensitive_actions.push_back (act);
-	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("secondary-clock-samples"), _("Samples"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(secondary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::Frames));
+	act = global_actions.register_action (transport_actions, X_("secondary-clock-samples"), _("Samples"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(secondary_clock, &AudioClock::set_mode), AudioClock::Frames, false));
 	ActionManager::session_sensitive_actions.push_back (act);
 
 	act = global_actions.register_toggle_action (transport_actions, X_("TogglePunchIn"), _("Punch In"), sigc::mem_fun(*this, &ARDOUR_UI::toggle_punch_in));
diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/audio_clock.cc b/gtk2_ardour/audio_clock.cc
index 5a05b20894..834f7f31f7 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/audio_clock.cc
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/audio_clock.cc
@@ -1311,7 +1311,7 @@ AudioClock::set_session (Session *s)
 
 					if ((prop = (*i)->property (X_("mode"))) != 0) {
 						amode = AudioClock::Mode (string_2_enum (prop->value(), amode));
-						set_mode (amode);
+						set_mode (amode, true);
 					}
 					if ((prop = (*i)->property (X_("on"))) != 0) {
 						set_off (!string_is_affirmative (prop->value()));
@@ -2112,10 +2112,10 @@ AudioClock::build_ops_menu ()
 	MenuList& ops_items = ops_menu->items();
 	ops_menu->set_name ("ArdourContextMenu");
 
-	ops_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("Timecode"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(*this, &AudioClock::set_mode), Timecode)));
-	ops_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("Bars:Beats"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(*this, &AudioClock::set_mode), BBT)));
-	ops_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("Minutes:Seconds"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(*this, &AudioClock::set_mode), MinSec)));
-	ops_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("Samples"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(*this, &AudioClock::set_mode), Frames)));
+	ops_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("Timecode"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(*this, &AudioClock::set_mode), Timecode, false)));
+	ops_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("Bars:Beats"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(*this, &AudioClock::set_mode), BBT, false)));
+	ops_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("Minutes:Seconds"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(*this, &AudioClock::set_mode), MinSec, false)));
+	ops_items.push_back (MenuElem (_("Samples"), sigc::bind (sigc::mem_fun(*this, &AudioClock::set_mode), Frames, false)));
 
 	if (editable && !_off && !is_duration && !_follows_playhead) {
 		ops_items.push_back (SeparatorElem());
@@ -2148,7 +2148,7 @@ AudioClock::locate ()
 }
 
 void
-AudioClock::set_mode (Mode m)
+AudioClock::set_mode (Mode m, bool noemit)
 {
 	if (_mode == m) {
 		return;
@@ -2222,11 +2222,11 @@ AudioClock::set_mode (Mode m)
 
 	set (last_when, true);
 
-        if (!is_transient) {
-                ModeChanged (); /* EMIT SIGNAL (the static one)*/
-        }
+	if (!is_transient && !noemit) {
+		ModeChanged (); /* EMIT SIGNAL (the static one)*/
+	}
 
-        mode_changed (); /* EMIT SIGNAL (the member one) */
+	mode_changed (); /* EMIT SIGNAL (the member one) */
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/audio_clock.h b/gtk2_ardour/audio_clock.h
index 3790fa88ef..b7cee0339e 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/audio_clock.h
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/audio_clock.h
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ class AudioClock : public CairoWidget, public ARDOUR::SessionHandlePtr
 	void set (framepos_t, bool force = false, ARDOUR::framecnt_t offset = 0);
 	void set_from_playhead ();
 	void locate ();
-	void set_mode (Mode);
+	void set_mode (Mode, bool noemit = false);
 	void set_bbt_reference (framepos_t);
         void set_is_duration (bool);