diff --git a/resources/js/components/fieldtypes/DateFieldtype.vue b/resources/js/components/fieldtypes/DateFieldtype.vue
index b70324ac40..445ebd35ef 100644
--- a/resources/js/components/fieldtypes/DateFieldtype.vue
+++ b/resources/js/components/fieldtypes/DateFieldtype.vue
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <template>
-    <div class="datetime min-w-[145px]">
+    <div v-if="mounted" class="datetime min-w-[145px]">
         <Button :text="__('Add Date')" icon="calendar" v-if="!isReadOnly && !isInline && !hasDate" @click="addDate" />
 
         <Component
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ export default {
 
     data() {
         return {
+            mounted: false,
             containerWidth: null,
             focusedField: null,
             localValue: null,
@@ -102,6 +103,15 @@ export default {
         this.$events.$on(`container.${this.publishContainer.name}.saving`, this.triggerChangeOnFocusedField);
     },
 
+    mounted() {
+        if (this.value === 'now') {
+            this.addDate();
+            this.$nextTick(() => this.injectedPublishContainer.clearDirtyState());
+        }
+
+        this.mounted = true;
+    },
+
     unmounted() {
         this.$events.$off(`container.${this.publishContainer.name}.saving`, this.triggerChangeOnFocusedField);
     },
diff --git a/resources/js/components/ui/Publish/Container.vue b/resources/js/components/ui/Publish/Container.vue
index 73539aa422..6c94088c15 100644
--- a/resources/js/components/ui/Publish/Container.vue
+++ b/resources/js/components/ui/Publish/Container.vue
@@ -238,6 +238,7 @@ const provided = {
     setRevealerField,
     unsetRevealerField,
     setHiddenField,
+    clearDirtyState,
 };
 
 provideContainerContext({ ...provided, container: provided });
diff --git a/src/Fieldtypes/Date.php b/src/Fieldtypes/Date.php
index 7fa4d95a56..a589ec897f 100644
--- a/src/Fieldtypes/Date.php
+++ b/src/Fieldtypes/Date.php
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ private function preProcessSingle($value)
         }
 
         if ($value === 'now') {
-            return now('UTC')->toIso8601ZuluString('millisecond');
+            return 'now';
         }
 
         // If the value is an array, this field probably used to be a range. In this case, we'll use the start date.
diff --git a/tests/Fieldtypes/DateTest.php b/tests/Fieldtypes/DateTest.php
index d2d535c636..8a2d51a724 100644
--- a/tests/Fieldtypes/DateTest.php
+++ b/tests/Fieldtypes/DateTest.php
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ public static function preProcessProvider()
                 'UTC',
                 [],
                 'now', // this would happen if the value was null, but default was "now"
-                '2010-12-25T13:43:00.000Z', // current date
+                'now', // handled on the frontend
             ],
             'date without time' => [
                 'UTC',