diff --git a/CalendarrWatchComplications/CornerComplicationViews.swift b/CalendarrWatchComplications/CornerComplicationViews.swift
index b96bb86..07ad46e 100644
--- a/CalendarrWatchComplications/CornerComplicationViews.swift
+++ b/CalendarrWatchComplications/CornerComplicationViews.swift
@@ -14,7 +14,12 @@ struct CornerCountdownComplicationView: View {
         let next = WatchComplicationSupport.nextEvent(in: entry.snapshot, at: entry.date)
         Group {
             if let next {
-                Text(WatchComplicationSupport.countdownTarget(next, at: entry.date), style: .timer)
+                Text(WatchComplicationSupport.compactCountdown(
+                        to: WatchComplicationSupport.countdownTarget(next, at: entry.date),
+                        at: entry.date,
+                        language: entry.language))
+                    .lineLimit(1)
+                    .minimumScaleFactor(0.6)
                     .widgetAccentable()
             } else {
                 Image(systemName: "calendar")
@@ -37,6 +42,8 @@ struct CornerTimeComplicationView: View {
                 Text(next.isAllDay
                      ? WatchL10n.t("watch.allday", entry.language)
                      : WatchComplicationSupport.time(next.start, language: entry.language))
+                    .lineLimit(1)
+                    .minimumScaleFactor(0.6)
                     .widgetAccentable()
             } else {
                 Image(systemName: "calendar")
diff --git a/CalendarrWatchComplications/SmallComplicationViews.swift b/CalendarrWatchComplications/SmallComplicationViews.swift
index b06eb57..fe099ce 100644
--- a/CalendarrWatchComplications/SmallComplicationViews.swift
+++ b/CalendarrWatchComplications/SmallComplicationViews.swift
@@ -24,8 +24,11 @@ struct CountdownComplicationView: View {
             Gauge(value: WatchComplicationSupport.gaugeFraction(to: target, at: entry.date)) {
                 Image(systemName: "calendar")
             } currentValueLabel: {
-                Text(target, style: .timer)
-                    .font(.system(size: 12))
+                Text(WatchComplicationSupport.compactCountdown(to: target, at: entry.date,
+                                                               language: entry.language))
+                    .font(.system(size: 13))
+                    .lineLimit(1)
+                    .minimumScaleFactor(0.6)
             }
             .gaugeStyle(.accessoryCircularCapacity)
             .widgetAccentable()
diff --git a/CalendarrWatchComplications/WatchComplicationSupport.swift b/CalendarrWatchComplications/WatchComplicationSupport.swift
index db566b6..169b494 100644
--- a/CalendarrWatchComplications/WatchComplicationSupport.swift
+++ b/CalendarrWatchComplications/WatchComplicationSupport.swift
@@ -28,6 +28,22 @@ enum WatchComplicationSupport {
         event.start > now ? event.start : event.end
     }
 
+    /// A countdown narrow enough for a corner or a circular gauge: at most
+    /// three characters. `Text(style: .timer)` would be live and free of
+    /// timeline entries, but renders `1:23:45` and overlaps whatever sits
+    /// beside it — so the timeline carries minute-granular entries instead and
+    /// this is recomputed per entry.
+    static func compactCountdown(to target: Date, at now: Date, language: String) -> String {
+        let seconds = target.timeIntervalSince(now)
+        guard seconds > 0 else { return WatchL10n.t("watch.now", language) }
+        let minutes = Int(seconds / 60)
+        if minutes < 1  { return WatchL10n.t("watch.now", language) }
+        if minutes < 60 { return "\(minutes)m" }
+        let hours = minutes / 60
+        if hours < 24   { return "\(hours)h" }
+        return "\(hours / 24)d"
+    }
+
     /// How full a draining ring should be, over a two-hour lead window.
     static func gaugeFraction(to target: Date, at now: Date) -> Double {
         let window: TimeInterval = 2 * 3600
diff --git a/CalendarrWatchShared/WatchL10n.swift b/CalendarrWatchShared/WatchL10n.swift
index 5e53409..ea11014 100644
--- a/CalendarrWatchShared/WatchL10n.swift
+++ b/CalendarrWatchShared/WatchL10n.swift
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ enum WatchL10n {
             "watch.calendars":      "Kalender",
             "watch.allday":         "Ganztägig",
             "watch.no_events":      "Keine Termine",
+            "watch.now":            "jetzt",
             "watch.today":          "Heute",
             "watch.tomorrow":       "Morgen",
             "watch.events_today":   "Termine",
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ enum WatchL10n {
             "watch.calendars":      "Calendars",
             "watch.allday":         "All-day",
             "watch.no_events":      "No events",
+            "watch.now":            "now",
             "watch.today":          "Today",
             "watch.tomorrow":       "Tomorrow",
             "watch.events_today":   "events",