diff --git a/clutter/clutter/clutter-master-clock-default.c b/clutter/clutter/clutter-master-clock-default.c
index 6779eb70b..3197a32e3 100644
--- a/clutter/clutter/clutter-master-clock-default.c
+++ b/clutter/clutter/clutter-master-clock-default.c
@@ -64,9 +64,6 @@ struct _ClutterMasterClockDefault
   /* the current state of the clock, in usecs */
   gint64 cur_tick;
 
-  /* the previous state of the clock, in usecs, used to compute the delta */
-  gint64 prev_tick;
-
 #ifdef CLUTTER_ENABLE_DEBUG
   gint64 frame_budget;
   gint64 remaining_budget;
@@ -77,12 +74,6 @@ struct _ClutterMasterClockDefault
    */
   GSource *source;
 
-  /* If the master clock is idle that means it has
-   * fallen back to idle polling for timeline
-   * progressions and it may have been some time since
-   * the last real stage update.
-   */
-  guint idle : 1;
   guint ensure_next_iteration : 1;
 
   guint paused : 1;
@@ -275,78 +266,12 @@ master_clock_reschedule_stage_updates (ClutterMasterClockDefault *master_clock,
 static gint
 master_clock_next_frame_delay (ClutterMasterClockDefault *master_clock)
 {
-  gint64 now, next;
-  gint swap_delay;
-
   if (!master_clock_is_running (master_clock))
     return -1;
 
   /* If all of the stages are busy waiting for a swap-buffers to complete
    * then we wait for one to be ready.. */
-  swap_delay = master_clock_get_swap_wait_time (master_clock);
-  if (swap_delay != 0)
-    return swap_delay;
-
-  /* When we have sync-to-vblank, we count on swap-buffer requests (or
-   * swap-buffer-complete events if supported in the backend) to throttle our
-   * frame rate so no additional delay is needed to start the next frame.
-   *
-   * If the master-clock has become idle due to no timeline progression causing
-   * redraws then we can no longer rely on vblank synchronization because the
-   * last real stage update/redraw may have happened a long time ago and so we
-   * fallback to polling for timeline progressions every 1/frame_rate seconds.
-   *
-   * (NB: if there aren't even any timelines running then the master clock will
-   * be completely stopped in master_clock_is_running())
-   */
-  if (clutter_feature_available (CLUTTER_FEATURE_SWAP_THROTTLE) &&
-      !master_clock->idle)
-    {
-      CLUTTER_NOTE (SCHEDULER, "swap throttling available and updated stages");
-      return 0;
-    }
-
-  if (master_clock->prev_tick == 0)
-    {
-      /* If we weren't previously running, then draw the next frame
-       * immediately
-       */
-      CLUTTER_NOTE (SCHEDULER, "draw the first frame immediately");
-      return 0;
-    }
-
-  /* Otherwise, wait at least 1/frame_rate seconds since we last
-   * started a frame
-   */
-  now = g_source_get_time (master_clock->source);
-
-  next = master_clock->prev_tick;
-
-  /* If time has gone backwards then there's no way of knowing how
-     long we should wait so let's just dispatch immediately */
-  if (now <= next)
-    {
-      CLUTTER_NOTE (SCHEDULER, "Time has gone backwards");
-
-      return 0;
-    }
-
-  next += (1000000L / clutter_get_default_frame_rate ());
-
-  if (next <= now)
-    {
-      CLUTTER_NOTE (SCHEDULER, "Less than %lu microsecs",
-                    1000000L / (gulong) clutter_get_default_frame_rate ());
-
-      return 0;
-    }
-  else
-    {
-      CLUTTER_NOTE (SCHEDULER, "Waiting %" G_GINT64_FORMAT " msecs",
-                   (next - now) / 1000);
-
-      return (next - now) / 1000;
-    }
+  return master_clock_get_swap_wait_time (master_clock);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -530,7 +455,6 @@ clutter_clock_dispatch (GSource     *source,
 {
   ClutterClockSource *clock_source = (ClutterClockSource *) source;
   ClutterMasterClockDefault *master_clock = clock_source->master_clock;
-  gboolean stages_updated = FALSE;
   GSList *stages;
 
   CLUTTER_NOTE (SCHEDULER, "Master clock [tick]");
@@ -550,8 +474,6 @@ clutter_clock_dispatch (GSource     *source,
    */
   stages = master_clock_list_ready_stages (master_clock);
 
-  master_clock->idle = FALSE;
-
   /* Each frame is split into three separate phases: */
 
   /* 1. process all the events; each stage goes through its events queue
@@ -564,19 +486,12 @@ clutter_clock_dispatch (GSource     *source,
   master_clock_advance_timelines (master_clock);
 
   /* 3. relayout and redraw the stages */
-  stages_updated = master_clock_update_stages (master_clock, stages);
-
-  /* The master clock goes idle if no stages were updated and falls back
-   * to polling for timeline progressions... */
-  if (!stages_updated)
-    master_clock->idle = TRUE;
+  master_clock_update_stages (master_clock, stages);
 
   master_clock_reschedule_stage_updates (master_clock, stages);
 
   g_slist_free_full (stages, g_object_unref);
 
-  master_clock->prev_tick = master_clock->cur_tick;
-
   _clutter_threads_release_lock ();
 
   return TRUE;
@@ -608,7 +523,6 @@ clutter_master_clock_default_init (ClutterMasterClockDefault *self)
   source = clutter_clock_source_new (self);
   self->source = source;
 
-  self->idle = FALSE;
   self->ensure_next_iteration = FALSE;
   self->paused = FALSE;