diff --git a/rules/50-udev-default.rules b/rules/50-udev-default.rules
index 234dc3b915e..f7647893d48 100644
--- a/rules/50-udev-default.rules
+++ b/rules/50-udev-default.rules
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 SUBSYSTEM=="virtio-ports", KERNEL=="vport*", ATTR{name}=="?*", SYMLINK+="virtio-ports/$attr{name}"
 
+# select "system RTC" or just use the first one
+SUBSYSTEM=="rtc", ATTR{hctosys}=="1", SYMLINK+="rtc"
+SUBSYSTEM=="rtc", KERNEL=="rtc0", SYMLINK+="rtc", OPTIONS+="link_priority=-100"
+
 SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ENV{DEVTYPE}=="usb_device", IMPORT{builtin}="usb_id", IMPORT{builtin}="hwdb --subsystem=usb"
 SUBSYSTEM=="input", ENV{ID_INPUT}=="", IMPORT{builtin}="input_id"
 ENV{MODALIAS}!="", IMPORT{builtin}="hwdb --subsystem=$env{SUBSYSTEM}"
diff --git a/src/shared/hwclock.c b/src/shared/hwclock.c
index 837f51f9478..cc11faa6c37 100644
--- a/src/shared/hwclock.c
+++ b/src/shared/hwclock.c
@@ -43,89 +43,13 @@
 #include "hwclock.h"
 #include "fileio.h"
 
-static int rtc_open(int flags) {
-        int fd;
-        DIR *d;
-
-        /*
-         * Some "chaotic platforms" have multiple RTCs and we need to
-         * find the "system RTC", which is in some setups /dev/rtc1.
-         *
-         * First, we try to find the RTC which has hctosys=1 set. If we
-         * don't find any we just take the first RTC that exists at all,
-         * then try to open /dev/rtc0.
-         */
-        d = opendir("/sys/class/rtc");
-        if (!d)
-                goto fallback;
-
-        for (;;) {
-                char *p, *v;
-                struct dirent *de;
-                union dirent_storage buf;
-                int r;
-
-                r = readdir_r(d, &buf.de, &de);
-                if (r != 0)
-                        goto fallback;
-
-                if (!de)
-                        goto fallback;
-
-                if (ignore_file(de->d_name))
-                        continue;
-
-                p = strjoin("/sys/class/rtc/", de->d_name, "/hctosys", NULL);
-                if (!p) {
-                        closedir(d);
-                        return -ENOMEM;
-                }
-
-                r = read_one_line_file(p, &v);
-                free(p);
-
-                if (r < 0)
-                        continue;
-
-                r = parse_boolean(v);
-                free(v);
-
-                if (r <= 0)
-                        continue;
-
-                p = strappend("/dev/", de->d_name);
-                if (!p) {
-                        closedir(d);
-                        return -ENOMEM;
-                }
-
-                fd = open(p, flags);
-                free(p);
-
-                if (fd >= 0) {
-                        closedir(d);
-                        return fd;
-                }
-        }
-
-fallback:
-        if (d)
-                closedir(d);
-
-        fd = open("/dev/rtc0", flags);
-        if (fd < 0)
-                return -errno;
-
-        return fd;
-}
-
 int hwclock_get_time(struct tm *tm) {
         int fd;
         int err = 0;
 
         assert(tm);
 
-        fd = rtc_open(O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC);
+        fd = open("/dev/rtc", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC);
         if (fd < 0)
                 return -errno;
 
@@ -149,7 +73,7 @@ int hwclock_set_time(const struct tm *tm) {
 
         assert(tm);
 
-        fd = rtc_open(O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC);
+        fd = open("/dev/rtc", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC);
         if (fd < 0)
                 return -errno;