diff --git a/src/compiler/sys.ts b/src/compiler/sys.ts
index d888a3d599bb3..be0d973032edf 100644
--- a/src/compiler/sys.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/sys.ts
@@ -914,6 +914,7 @@ export interface CreateSystemWatchFunctions {
     useNonPollingWatchers?: boolean;
     tscWatchDirectory: string | undefined;
     inodeWatching: boolean;
+    fsWatchWithTimestamp: boolean | undefined;
     sysLog: (s: string) => void;
 }
 
@@ -934,6 +935,7 @@ export function createSystemWatchFunctions({
     useNonPollingWatchers,
     tscWatchDirectory,
     inodeWatching,
+    fsWatchWithTimestamp,
     sysLog,
 }: CreateSystemWatchFunctions): { watchFile: HostWatchFile; watchDirectory: HostWatchDirectory; } {
     const pollingWatches = new Map<string, SingleFileWatcher<FileWatcherCallback>>();
@@ -1189,7 +1191,7 @@ export function createSystemWatchFunctions({
                 return watchPresentFileSystemEntryWithFsWatchFile();
             }
             try {
-                const presentWatcher = fsWatchWorker(
+                const presentWatcher = (!fsWatchWithTimestamp ? fsWatchWorker : fsWatchWorkerHandlingTimestamp)(
                     fileOrDirectory,
                     recursive,
                     inodeWatching ?
@@ -1286,6 +1288,18 @@ export function createSystemWatchFunctions({
             );
         }
     }
+
+    function fsWatchWorkerHandlingTimestamp(fileOrDirectory: string, recursive: boolean, callback: FsWatchCallback): FsWatchWorkerWatcher {
+        let modifiedTime = getModifiedTime(fileOrDirectory) || missingFileModifiedTime;
+        return fsWatchWorker(fileOrDirectory, recursive, (eventName, relativeFileName, currentModifiedTime) => {
+            if (eventName === "change") {
+                currentModifiedTime ||= getModifiedTime(fileOrDirectory) || missingFileModifiedTime;
+                if (currentModifiedTime.getTime() === modifiedTime.getTime()) return;
+            }
+            modifiedTime = currentModifiedTime || getModifiedTime(fileOrDirectory) || missingFileModifiedTime;
+            callback(eventName, relativeFileName, modifiedTime);
+        });
+    }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1482,7 +1496,8 @@ export let sys: System = (() => {
             from?(input: string, encoding?: string): any;
         } = require("buffer").Buffer;
 
-        const isLinuxOrMacOs = process.platform === "linux" || process.platform === "darwin";
+        const isMacOs = process.platform === "darwin";
+        const isLinuxOrMacOs = process.platform === "linux" || isMacOs;
 
         const platform: string = _os.platform();
         const useCaseSensitiveFileNames = isFileSystemCaseSensitive();
@@ -1495,7 +1510,7 @@ export let sys: System = (() => {
         // Note that if we ever emit as files like cjs/mjs, this check will be wrong.
         const executingFilePath = __filename.endsWith("sys.js") ? _path.join(_path.dirname(__dirname), "__fake__.js") : __filename;
 
-        const fsSupportsRecursiveFsWatch = process.platform === "win32" || process.platform === "darwin";
+        const fsSupportsRecursiveFsWatch = process.platform === "win32" || isMacOs;
         const getCurrentDirectory = memoize(() => process.cwd());
         const { watchFile, watchDirectory } = createSystemWatchFunctions({
             pollingWatchFileWorker: fsWatchFileWorker,
@@ -1515,6 +1530,7 @@ export let sys: System = (() => {
             useNonPollingWatchers: !!process.env.TSC_NONPOLLING_WATCHER,
             tscWatchDirectory: process.env.TSC_WATCHDIRECTORY,
             inodeWatching: isLinuxOrMacOs,
+            fsWatchWithTimestamp: isMacOs,
             sysLog,
         });
         const nodeSystem: System = {
diff --git a/src/testRunner/unittests/helpers/virtualFileSystemWithWatch.ts b/src/testRunner/unittests/helpers/virtualFileSystemWithWatch.ts
index 493ec2cd2aff9..842a4ef3bfad1 100644
--- a/src/testRunner/unittests/helpers/virtualFileSystemWithWatch.ts
+++ b/src/testRunner/unittests/helpers/virtualFileSystemWithWatch.ts
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ export interface TestServerHostCreationParameters {
     runWithoutRecursiveWatches?: boolean;
     runWithFallbackPolling?: boolean;
     inodeWatching?: boolean;
+    fsWatchWithTimestamp?: boolean;
 }
 
 export function createWatchedSystem(fileOrFolderList: FileOrFolderOrSymLinkMap | readonly FileOrFolderOrSymLink[], params?: TestServerHostCreationParameters): TestServerHost {
@@ -377,6 +378,7 @@ export class TestServerHost implements server.ServerHost, FormatDiagnosticsHost,
             runWithoutRecursiveWatches,
             runWithFallbackPolling,
             inodeWatching,
+            fsWatchWithTimestamp,
         }: TestServerHostCreationParameters = {},
     ) {
         this.useCaseSensitiveFileNames = !!useCaseSensitiveFileNames;
@@ -414,6 +416,7 @@ export class TestServerHost implements server.ServerHost, FormatDiagnosticsHost,
             tscWatchFile,
             tscWatchDirectory,
             inodeWatching: !!this.inodeWatching,
+            fsWatchWithTimestamp,
             sysLog: s => this.write(s + this.newLine),
         });
         this.watchFile = watchFile;
diff --git a/src/testRunner/unittests/tscWatch/watchEnvironment.ts b/src/testRunner/unittests/tscWatch/watchEnvironment.ts
index bb1e106d789d8..c8278c047b0f5 100644
--- a/src/testRunner/unittests/tscWatch/watchEnvironment.ts
+++ b/src/testRunner/unittests/tscWatch/watchEnvironment.ts
@@ -704,6 +704,7 @@ describe("unittests:: tsc-watch:: watchEnvironment:: tsc-watch with different po
                         },
                         {
                             currentDirectory: "/user/username/projects/myproject",
+                            fsWatchWithTimestamp,
                         },
                     ),
                 edits: [
diff --git a/tests/baselines/reference/tscWatch/watchEnvironment/fsWatch/fsWatchWithTimestamp-true.js b/tests/baselines/reference/tscWatch/watchEnvironment/fsWatch/fsWatchWithTimestamp-true.js
index e8cfa9431277a..0d41c11b03e81 100644
--- a/tests/baselines/reference/tscWatch/watchEnvironment/fsWatch/fsWatchWithTimestamp-true.js
+++ b/tests/baselines/reference/tscWatch/watchEnvironment/fsWatch/fsWatchWithTimestamp-true.js
@@ -93,23 +93,9 @@ Change:: emulate access
 
 Input::
 
-Output::
-FileWatcher:: Triggered with /user/username/projects/myproject/main.ts 1:: WatchInfo: /user/username/projects/myproject/main.ts 250 undefined Source file
-Scheduling update
-Elapsed:: *ms FileWatcher:: Triggered with /user/username/projects/myproject/main.ts 1:: WatchInfo: /user/username/projects/myproject/main.ts 250 undefined Source file
-
-
-Timeout callback:: count: 1
-1: timerToUpdateProgram *new*
-
-Before running Timeout callback:: count: 1
-1: timerToUpdateProgram
+Before running Timeout callback:: count: 0
 
 After running Timeout callback:: count: 0
-Output::
-Synchronizing program
-
-
 
 
 exitCode:: ExitStatus.undefined
@@ -128,10 +114,10 @@ Elapsed:: *ms FileWatcher:: Triggered with /user/username/projects/myproject/mai
 
 
 Timeout callback:: count: 1
-2: timerToUpdateProgram *new*
+1: timerToUpdateProgram *new*
 
 Before running Timeout callback:: count: 1
-2: timerToUpdateProgram
+1: timerToUpdateProgram
 
 After running Timeout callback:: count: 0
 Output::