diff --git a/src/vs/base/node/pfs.ts b/src/vs/base/node/pfs.ts
index 7366e49d0c8d2b0c33b6a8f338704baea281ad5e..0d4589b34bea6a0693c31d0069aa85d63e54641a 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/node/pfs.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/node/pfs.ts
@@ -101,8 +101,10 @@ export function readlink(path: string): TPromise<string> {
 	return nfcall<string>(fs.readlink, path);
 }
 
-export function utimes(path: string, atime: Date, mtime: Date): TPromise<void> {
-	return nfcall(fs.utimes, path, atime, mtime);
+export function touch(path: string): TPromise<void> {
+	const now = Date.now() / 1000; // the value should be a Unix timestamp in seconds
+
+	return nfcall(fs.utimes, path, now, now);
 }
 
 export function readFile(path: string): TPromise<Buffer>;
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/files/node/fileService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/files/node/fileService.ts
index 738ce04a72c593e5374d0b965d9d3d7f661e0179..53c3445a6eea50d992b88164d921b90b6e00ab8c 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/files/node/fileService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/files/node/fileService.ts
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ export class FileService implements IFileService {
 			return createPromise.then(() => {
 
 				// 3.) update atime and mtime
-				return pfs.utimes(absolutePath, new Date(), new Date()).then(() => {
+				return pfs.touch(absolutePath).then(() => {
 
 					// 4.) resolve
 					return this.resolve(resource);