diff --git a/src/config.rs b/src/config.rs
index 1ec3036..07fbcf7 100644
--- a/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/config.rs
@@ -111,11 +111,14 @@ impl Widget {
                     .map(|x| x.unwrap())
                     .collect(),
             )),
-            Widget::Clock { font, font_size } => Some(widgets::clock::Clock::new(
+            Widget::Clock { font, font_size } => match widgets::clock::Clock::new(
                 time,
                 get_font(&font.or_else(|| Some("sans".to_string())).unwrap(), &fonts),
                 font_size,
-            )),
+            ) {
+                Ok(w) => Some(w),
+                Err(_) => None,
+            },
             Widget::Date { font, font_size } => Some(widgets::date::Date::new(
                 time,
                 get_font(&font.or_else(|| Some("sans".to_string())).unwrap(), &fonts),
diff --git a/src/draw.rs b/src/draw.rs
index 0921d14..743bf43 100644
--- a/src/draw.rs
+++ b/src/draw.rs
@@ -124,6 +124,27 @@ impl<'a> Font<'a> {
         Ok((x_off as u32, self.size as u32))
     }
 
+    pub fn auto_widest(&mut self, s: &str) -> Result<u32, ::std::io::Error> {
+        self.add_str_to_cache(s);
+        let mut max = 0;
+        for ch in s.chars() {
+            let glyph = match self.glyphs.get(&ch) {
+                Some(glyph) => glyph,
+                None => {
+                    return Err(::std::io::Error::new(
+                        ::std::io::ErrorKind::Other,
+                        format!("glyph for {:} not in cache", ch),
+                    ))
+                }
+            };
+            let width = glyph.dimensions.0 as i32 + glyph.origin.0;
+            if width > max {
+                max = width
+            }
+        }
+        Ok(max as u32)
+    }
+
     pub fn auto_draw_text(
         &mut self,
         buf: &mut Buffer,
diff --git a/src/widgets/clock.rs b/src/widgets/clock.rs
index 946cfd4..60ac4c7 100644
--- a/src/widgets/clock.rs
+++ b/src/widgets/clock.rs
@@ -11,18 +11,25 @@ pub struct Clock<'a> {
     cur_time: NaiveDateTime,
     clock_cache: Font<'a>,
     size: f32,
+    digit: u32,
+    colon: u32,
 }
 
 impl<'a> Clock<'a> {
-    pub fn new(time: NaiveDateTime, font: FontRef, size: f32) -> Box<Clock> {
+    pub fn new(time: NaiveDateTime, font: FontRef, size: f32) -> ::std::io::Result<Box<Clock>> {
         let mut clock_cache = Font::new(font, size);
         clock_cache.add_str_to_cache("0123456789:");
 
-        Box::new(Clock {
+        let digit = clock_cache.auto_widest("123456789")?;
+        let colon = (clock_cache.auto_widest(":")? as f32 * 1.25) as u32;
+
+        Ok(Box::new(Clock {
             cur_time: time,
             clock_cache,
             size,
-        })
+            digit,
+            colon,
+        }))
     }
 }
 
@@ -38,9 +45,7 @@ impl<'a> Widget for Clock<'a> {
     fn enter(&mut self) {}
     fn leave(&mut self) {}
     fn size(&self) -> (u32, u32) {
-        let digit = (self.size * 0.45).ceil() as u32;
-        let colon = (self.size * 0.20).ceil() as u32;
-        (digit * 4 + colon, self.size.ceil() as u32)
+        (self.digit * 4 + self.colon, self.size.ceil() as u32)
     }
 
     fn draw(
@@ -62,8 +67,8 @@ impl<'a> Widget for Clock<'a> {
         let buf = &mut ctx.buf.subdimensions((pos.0, pos.1, width, height))?;
         buf.memset(ctx.bg);
 
-        let digit = (self.size * 0.45).ceil() as u32;
-        let colon = (self.size * 0.20).ceil() as u32;
+        let digit = self.digit;
+        let colon = self.colon;
         self.clock_cache.draw_text_fixed_width(
             buf,
             ctx.bg,