diff --git a/headers/os/locale/Country.h b/headers/os/locale/Country.h
index cb8c7825fd..ecaea64f89 100644
--- a/headers/os/locale/Country.h
+++ b/headers/os/locale/Country.h
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ class BCountry {
 		bool		DateFormat(BString&, bool longFormat) const;
 		void		SetDateFormat(const char* formatString,
 						bool longFormat = true);
+		void		SetTimeFormat(const char* formatString,
+						bool longFormat = true);
 		bool		TimeFormat(BString&, bool longFormat) const;
 		const char*	DateSeparator() const;
 		const char*	TimeSeparator() const;
@@ -85,6 +87,8 @@ class BCountry {
 	private:
 		icu_4_2::DateFormat* fICULongDateFormatter;
 		icu_4_2::DateFormat* fICUShortDateFormatter;
+		icu_4_2::DateFormat* fICULongTimeFormatter;
+		icu_4_2::DateFormat* fICUShortTimeFormatter;
 		const char**	fStrings;
 		icu_4_2::Locale* fICULocale;
 };
diff --git a/src/kits/locale/Country.cpp b/src/kits/locale/Country.cpp
index 6eaf94194e..ffb02e046d 100644
--- a/src/kits/locale/Country.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/locale/Country.cpp
@@ -54,6 +54,14 @@ BCountry::BCountry(const char* languageCode, const char* countryCode)
 	fStrings(gStrings)
 {
 	fICULocale = new icu_4_2::Locale(languageCode, countryCode);
+	fICULongDateFormatter = DateFormat::createDateInstance(
+		DateFormat::FULL, *fICULocale);
+ 	fICUShortDateFormatter = DateFormat::createDateInstance(
+		DateFormat::SHORT, *fICULocale);
+	fICULongTimeFormatter = DateFormat::createTimeInstance(
+		DateFormat::MEDIUM, *fICULocale);
+ 	fICUShortTimeFormatter = DateFormat::createTimeInstance(
+		DateFormat::SHORT, *fICULocale);
 }
 
 
@@ -66,11 +74,19 @@ BCountry::BCountry(const char* languageAndCountryCode)
 		DateFormat::FULL, *fICULocale);
  	fICUShortDateFormatter = DateFormat::createDateInstance(
 		DateFormat::SHORT, *fICULocale);
+	fICULongTimeFormatter = DateFormat::createTimeInstance(
+		DateFormat::MEDIUM, *fICULocale);
+ 	fICUShortTimeFormatter = DateFormat::createTimeInstance(
+		DateFormat::SHORT, *fICULocale);
 }
 
 
 BCountry::~BCountry()
 {
+	delete fICULongTimeFormatter;
+	delete fICUShortTimeFormatter;
+	delete fICULongDateFormatter;
+	delete fICUShortDateFormatter;
 	delete fICULocale;
 }
 
@@ -168,9 +184,7 @@ BCountry::FormatTime(BString* string, time_t time, bool longFormat)
 	// TODO: ICU allows for 4 different levels of expansion :
 	// short, medium, long, and full. Our bool parameter is not enough...
 	icu_4_2::DateFormat* timeFormatter;
- 	timeFormatter = DateFormat::createTimeInstance(
-		longFormat ? DateFormat::MEDIUM : DateFormat::SHORT,
-		*fICULocale);
+ 	timeFormatter = longFormat ? fICULongTimeFormatter : fICUShortTimeFormatter;
 	UnicodeString ICUString;
 	ICUString = timeFormatter->format((UDate)time * 1000, ICUString);
 
@@ -178,8 +192,6 @@ BCountry::FormatTime(BString* string, time_t time, bool longFormat)
 	BStringByteSink stringConverter(string);
 
 	ICUString.toUTF8(stringConverter);
-	
-	delete timeFormatter;
 }
 
 
@@ -215,13 +227,24 @@ BCountry::SetDateFormat(const char* formatString, bool longFormat)
 }
 
 
+void
+BCountry::SetTimeFormat(const char* formatString, bool longFormat)
+{
+	icu_4_2::DateFormat* dateFormatter
+		= longFormat ? fICULongTimeFormatter : fICUShortTimeFormatter;
+	SimpleDateFormat* dateFormatterImpl
+		= static_cast<SimpleDateFormat*>(dateFormatter);
+
+	UnicodeString pattern(formatString);
+	dateFormatterImpl->applyPattern(pattern);
+}
+
+
 bool
 BCountry::TimeFormat(BString& format, bool longFormat) const
 {
 	icu_4_2::DateFormat* dateFormatter;
- 	dateFormatter = DateFormat::createTimeInstance(
-		longFormat ? DateFormat::FULL : DateFormat::SHORT,
-		*fICULocale);
+ 	dateFormatter = longFormat ? fICULongTimeFormatter : fICUShortTimeFormatter;
 	SimpleDateFormat* dateFormatterImpl
 		= static_cast<SimpleDateFormat*>(dateFormatter);
 
diff --git a/src/kits/locale/Locale.cpp b/src/kits/locale/Locale.cpp
index 614af3bc4a..9ccf91f873 100644
--- a/src/kits/locale/Locale.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/locale/Locale.cpp
@@ -38,8 +38,5 @@ BLocale::GetString(uint32 id)
 
 		return "";
 	}
-	if (id >= B_LANGUAGE_STRINGS_BASE)
-		return fLanguage->GetString(id);
-
-	return fCountry->GetString(id);
+	return fLanguage->GetString(id);
 }
diff --git a/src/preferences/locale/TimeFormatSettingsView.cpp b/src/preferences/locale/TimeFormatSettingsView.cpp
index bff8580726..2d741b5738 100644
--- a/src/preferences/locale/TimeFormatSettingsView.cpp
+++ b/src/preferences/locale/TimeFormatSettingsView.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 
 #include "TimeFormatSettingsView.h"
 
+#include <iostream>
+
 #include <Alert.h>
 #include <Catalog.h>
 #include <CheckBox.h>
@@ -139,7 +141,6 @@ IsSpecialDateChar(char charToTest)
 	return false;
 }
 
-
 // #pragma mark -
 
 
@@ -182,10 +183,17 @@ FormatView::FormatView(BCountry* country)
 	clockBox->SetLabel(B_TRANSLATE("Clock"));
 
 	f24HrRadioButton = new BRadioButton("", B_TRANSLATE("24 hour"),
-		new BMessage(kSettingsContentsModified));
+		new BMessage(kClockFormatChange));
 
 	f12HrRadioButton = new BRadioButton("", B_TRANSLATE("12 hour"),
-		new BMessage(kSettingsContentsModified));
+		new BMessage(kClockFormatChange));
+
+	BString timeFormat;
+	fCountry->TimeFormat(timeFormat, false);
+	if (timeFormat.FindFirst(" a"))
+		f12HrRadioButton->SetValue(1);
+	else
+		f24HrRadioButton->SetValue(1);
 
 	float spacing = be_control_look->DefaultItemSpacing();
 
@@ -414,7 +422,8 @@ FormatView::MessageReceived(BMessage* message)
 				if (item) {
 					separator = fSeparatorMenuField->Menu()->IndexOf(item);
 					if (separator >= 0)
-						//settings.SetTimeFormatSeparator((FormatSeparator)separator);
+						//settings.SetTimeFormatSeparator(
+						//	(FormatSeparator)separator);
 						;
 				}
 
@@ -427,7 +436,8 @@ FormatView::MessageReceived(BMessage* message)
 				notificationMessage.AddInt32("TimeFormatSeparator", separator);
 				notificationMessage.AddBool("24HrClock",
 					f24HrRadioButton->Value() == 1);
-				// tracker->SendNotices(kDateFormatChanged, &notificationMessage);
+				// tracker->SendNotices(kDateFormatChanged,
+				// 	&notificationMessage);
 
 				_UpdateExamples();
 
@@ -435,6 +445,41 @@ FormatView::MessageReceived(BMessage* message)
 				break;
 			}
 
+		case kClockFormatChange:
+		{
+			BString timeFormat;
+			fCountry->TimeFormat(timeFormat, false);
+			if (f24HrRadioButton->Value() == 1) {
+				timeFormat.ReplaceAll("k","h");
+				timeFormat.ReplaceAll("K","H");
+				timeFormat.RemoveAll(" a");
+			} else {
+				timeFormat.ReplaceAll("h","k");
+				timeFormat.ReplaceAll("H","K");
+				timeFormat.Append(" a");
+				f12HrRadioButton->SetValue(true);
+			}
+			std::cout << timeFormat.String() << std::endl;
+			fCountry->SetTimeFormat(timeFormat.String(), false);
+
+			timeFormat.Truncate(0);
+
+			fCountry->TimeFormat(timeFormat, true);
+			if (f24HrRadioButton->Value() == 1) {
+				timeFormat.ReplaceAll("k","h");
+				timeFormat.ReplaceAll("K","H");
+				timeFormat.RemoveAll(" a");
+			} else {
+				timeFormat.ReplaceAll("h","k");
+				timeFormat.ReplaceAll("H","K");
+				timeFormat.Append(" a");
+			}
+			fCountry->SetTimeFormat(timeFormat.String(), true);
+			_UpdateExamples();
+			Window()->PostMessage(kSettingsContentsModified);
+			break;
+		}
+
 		default:
 			BView::MessageReceived(message);
 	}
diff --git a/src/preferences/locale/TimeFormatSettingsView.h b/src/preferences/locale/TimeFormatSettingsView.h
index 0b42482342..36385cbd4f 100644
--- a/src/preferences/locale/TimeFormatSettingsView.h
+++ b/src/preferences/locale/TimeFormatSettingsView.h
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ enum FormatSeparator {
 };
 
 const uint32 kSettingsContentsModified = 'Scmo';
+const uint32 kClockFormatChange = 'cfmc';
 const uint32 kMenuMessage = 'FRMT';