diff --git a/Documentation/watchdog/watchdog-kernel-api.txt b/Documentation/watchdog/watchdog-kernel-api.txt
index 9e16246..7d9d1da 100644
--- a/Documentation/watchdog/watchdog-kernel-api.txt
+++ b/Documentation/watchdog/watchdog-kernel-api.txt
@@ -117,9 +117,10 @@
   status of the device is reported with watchdog WDIOF_* status flags/bits.
 * set_timeout: this routine checks and changes the timeout of the watchdog
   timer device. It returns 0 on success, -EINVAL for "parameter out of range"
-  and -EIO for "could not write value to the watchdog". On success the timeout
-  value of the watchdog_device will be changed to the value that was just used
-  to re-program the watchdog timer device.
+  and -EIO for "could not write value to the watchdog". On success this
+  routine should set the timeout value of the watchdog_device to the
+  achieved timeout value (which may be different from the requested one
+  because the watchdog does not necessarily has a 1 second resolution).
   (Note: the WDIOF_SETTIMEOUT needs to be set in the options field of the
   watchdog's info structure).
 * ioctl: if this routine is present then it will be called first before we do
diff --git a/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_dev.c b/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_dev.c
index 55b1f60..c6e1b8d 100644
--- a/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_dev.c
+++ b/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_dev.c
@@ -226,7 +226,6 @@
 		err = wdd->ops->set_timeout(wdd, val);
 		if (err < 0)
 			return err;
-		wdd->timeout = val;
 		/* If the watchdog is active then we send a keepalive ping
 		 * to make sure that the watchdog keep's running (and if
 		 * possible that it takes the new timeout) */