diff --git a/opm/simulators/timestepping/SimulatorTimer.cpp b/opm/simulators/timestepping/SimulatorTimer.cpp
index db4b5aac0..337723dbe 100644
--- a/opm/simulators/timestepping/SimulatorTimer.cpp
+++ b/opm/simulators/timestepping/SimulatorTimer.cpp
@@ -29,8 +29,9 @@ namespace Opm
 
     /// Default constructor.
     SimulatorTimer::SimulatorTimer()
-	: current_step_(0),
-	  current_time_(0.0)
+        : current_step_(0),
+          current_time_(0.0),
+          start_date_(2012,1,1)    // A really arbitrary default starting value?!
     {
     }
 
@@ -39,31 +40,32 @@ namespace Opm
     ///    stepsize_days (default 1)
     void SimulatorTimer::init(const parameter::ParameterGroup& param)
     {
-	const int num_psteps = param.getDefault("num_psteps", 1);
-	const double stepsize_days = param.getDefault("stepsize_days", 1.0);
-	const double stepsize = Opm::unit::convert::from(stepsize_days, Opm::unit::day);
-	timesteps_.clear();
-	timesteps_.resize(num_psteps, stepsize);
-	total_time_ = num_psteps*stepsize;
+        const int num_psteps = param.getDefault("num_psteps", 1);
+        const double stepsize_days = param.getDefault("stepsize_days", 1.0);
+        const double stepsize = Opm::unit::convert::from(stepsize_days, Opm::unit::day);
+        timesteps_.clear();
+        timesteps_.resize(num_psteps, stepsize);
+        total_time_ = num_psteps*stepsize;
     }
 
     /// Initialize from TSTEP field.
     void SimulatorTimer::init(const EclipseGridParser& deck)
     {
-	timesteps_ = deck.getTSTEP().tstep_;
-	total_time_ = std::accumulate(timesteps_.begin(), timesteps_.end(), 0.0);
+        timesteps_  = deck.getTSTEP().tstep_;
+        total_time_ = std::accumulate(timesteps_.begin(), timesteps_.end(), 0.0);
+        start_date_ = deck.getStartDate();
     }
 
     /// Total number of steps.
     int SimulatorTimer::numSteps() const
     {
-	return timesteps_.size();
+        return timesteps_.size();
     }
 
     /// Current step number.
     int SimulatorTimer::currentStepNum() const
     {
-	return current_step_;
+        return current_step_;
     }
 
     /// Set current step number.
@@ -82,20 +84,28 @@ namespace Opm
     /// Current step length.
     double SimulatorTimer::currentStepLength() const
     {
-	ASSERT(!done());
-	return timesteps_[current_step_];
+        ASSERT(!done());
+        return timesteps_[current_step_];
     }
 
     /// Current time.
     double SimulatorTimer::currentTime() const
     {
-	return current_time_;
+        return current_time_;
     }
 
+
+    boost::posix_time::ptime SimulatorTimer::currentDateTime() const
+    {
+      return boost::posix_time::ptime(start_date_) + boost::posix_time::seconds( (int) current_time_ );
+    }
+    
+
+
     /// Total time.
     double SimulatorTimer::totalTime() const
     {
-	return total_time_;
+        return total_time_;
     }
 
     /// Set total time.
@@ -104,32 +114,32 @@ namespace Opm
     /// access to later timesteps.
     void SimulatorTimer::setTotalTime(double time)
     {
-	total_time_ = time;
+        total_time_ = time;
     }
 
     /// Print a report with current and total time etc.
     void SimulatorTimer::report(std::ostream& os) const
     {
         os << "\n\n---------------    Simulation step number " << currentStepNum() << "    ---------------"
-	   << "\n      Current time (days)     " << Opm::unit::convert::to(currentTime(), Opm::unit::day)
-	   << "\n      Current stepsize (days) " << Opm::unit::convert::to(currentStepLength(), Opm::unit::day)
-	   << "\n      Total time (days)       " << Opm::unit::convert::to(totalTime(), Opm::unit::day)
-	   << "\n" << std::endl;
+           << "\n      Current time (days)     " << Opm::unit::convert::to(currentTime(), Opm::unit::day)
+           << "\n      Current stepsize (days) " << Opm::unit::convert::to(currentStepLength(), Opm::unit::day)
+           << "\n      Total time (days)       " << Opm::unit::convert::to(totalTime(), Opm::unit::day)
+           << "\n" << std::endl;
     }
 
     /// Next step.
     SimulatorTimer& SimulatorTimer::operator++()
     {
-	ASSERT(!done());
-	current_time_ += timesteps_[current_step_];
-	++current_step_;
-	return *this;
+        ASSERT(!done());
+        current_time_ += timesteps_[current_step_];
+        ++current_step_;
+        return *this;
     }
 
     /// Return true if op++() has been called numSteps() times.
     bool SimulatorTimer::done() const
     {
-	return int(timesteps_.size()) == current_step_;
+        return int(timesteps_.size()) == current_step_;
     }
 
 
diff --git a/opm/simulators/timestepping/SimulatorTimer.hpp b/opm/simulators/timestepping/SimulatorTimer.hpp
index d9a35a168..832cdef95 100644
--- a/opm/simulators/timestepping/SimulatorTimer.hpp
+++ b/opm/simulators/timestepping/SimulatorTimer.hpp
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@
 
 #include <iosfwd>
 #include <vector>
+#include <boost/date_time/gregorian/gregorian.hpp>
+#include <boost/date_time/posix_time/posix_time_types.hpp>
 
 namespace Opm
 {
@@ -33,57 +35,60 @@ namespace Opm
     class SimulatorTimer
     {
     public:
-	/// Default constructor.
-	SimulatorTimer();
+        /// Default constructor.
+        SimulatorTimer();
 
-	/// Initialize from parameters. Accepts the following:
-	///    num_psteps    (default 1)
-	///    stepsize_days (default 1)
-	void init(const parameter::ParameterGroup& param);
+        /// Initialize from parameters. Accepts the following:
+        ///    num_psteps    (default 1)
+        ///    stepsize_days (default 1)
+        void init(const parameter::ParameterGroup& param);
 
-	/// Initialize from TSTEP field.
-	void init(const EclipseGridParser& deck);
+        /// Initialize from TSTEP field.
+        void init(const EclipseGridParser& deck);
 
-	/// Total number of steps.
-	int numSteps() const;
+        /// Total number of steps.
+        int numSteps() const;
 
-	/// Current step number.
-	int currentStepNum() const;
+        /// Current step number.
+        int currentStepNum() const;
 
         /// Set current step number.
         void setCurrentStepNum(int step);
 
-	/// Current step length.
-	/// Note: if done(), it is an error to call currentStepLength().
-	double currentStepLength() const;
+        /// Current step length.
+        /// Note: if done(), it is an error to call currentStepLength().
+        double currentStepLength() const;
 
-	/// Current time.
-	double currentTime() const;
+        /// Current time.
+        double currentTime() const;
 
-	/// Total time.
-	double totalTime() const;
+        boost::posix_time::ptime currentDateTime() const;
+
+        /// Total time.
+        double totalTime() const;
 
         /// Set total time.
         /// This is primarily intended for multi-epoch schedules,
         /// where a timer for a given epoch does not have
         /// access to later timesteps.
-	void setTotalTime(double time);
+        void setTotalTime(double time);
 
-	/// Print a report with current and total time etc.
-	/// Note: if done(), it is an error to call report().
-	void report(std::ostream& os) const;
+        /// Print a report with current and total time etc.
+        /// Note: if done(), it is an error to call report().
+        void report(std::ostream& os) const;
 
-	/// Next step.
-	SimulatorTimer& operator++();
+        /// Next step.
+        SimulatorTimer& operator++();
 
-	/// Return true if op++() has been called numSteps() times.
-	bool done() const;
+        /// Return true if op++() has been called numSteps() times.
+        bool done() const;
 
     private:
-	std::vector<double> timesteps_;
-	int current_step_;
-	double current_time_;
-	double total_time_;
+        std::vector<double> timesteps_;
+        int current_step_;
+        double current_time_;
+        double total_time_;
+        boost::gregorian::date start_date_;
     };