diff --git a/src/ui/public/utils/__tests__/brush_event.js b/src/ui/public/utils/__tests__/brush_event.js
index d9992b478636..5bc1fe156444 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/utils/__tests__/brush_event.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/utils/__tests__/brush_event.js
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import FixturesStubbedLogstashIndexPatternProvider from 'fixtures/stubbed_logsta
 import { UtilsBrushEventProvider } from 'ui/utils/brush_event';
 
 describe('brushEvent', function () {
+  const DAY_IN_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+  const JAN_01_2014 = 1388559600000;
   let brushEventFn;
   let timefilter;
 
@@ -51,42 +53,97 @@ describe('brushEvent', function () {
         .not.have.property('$newFilters');
     });
 
-    describe('handles an event when the x-axis field is a date', function () {
-      let dateEvent;
-      const dateField = {
-        name: 'dateField',
-        type: 'date'
-      };
-
-      beforeEach(ngMock.inject(function () {
-        dateEvent = _.cloneDeep(baseEvent);
-        dateEvent.data.xAxisField = dateField;
-      }));
+    describe('handles an event when the x-axis field is a date field', function () {
+      describe('date field is index pattern timefield', function () {
+        let dateEvent;
+        const dateField = {
+          name: 'time',
+          type: 'date'
+        };
+
+        beforeEach(ngMock.inject(function () {
+          dateEvent = _.cloneDeep(baseEvent);
+          dateEvent.data.xAxisField = dateField;
+        }));
+
+        it('by ignoring the event when range spans zero time', function () {
+          const event = _.cloneDeep(dateEvent);
+          event.range = [JAN_01_2014, JAN_01_2014];
+          brushEvent(event);
+          expect($state)
+            .not.have.property('$newFilters');
+        });
 
-      it('by ignoring the event when range spans zero time', function () {
-        const event = _.cloneDeep(dateEvent);
-        event.range = [1388559600000, 1388559600000];
-        brushEvent(event);
-        expect($state)
-          .not.have.property('$newFilters');
+        it('by updating the timefilter', function () {
+          const event = _.cloneDeep(dateEvent);
+          event.range = [JAN_01_2014, JAN_01_2014 + DAY_IN_MS];
+          brushEvent(event);
+          expect(timefilter.time.mode).to.be('absolute');
+          expect(moment.isMoment(timefilter.time.from))
+            .to.be(true);
+          // Set to a baseline timezone for comparison.
+          expect(timefilter.time.from.utcOffset(0).format('YYYY-MM-DD'))
+            .to.equal('2014-01-01');
+          expect(moment.isMoment(timefilter.time.to))
+            .to.be(true);
+          // Set to a baseline timezone for comparison.
+          expect(timefilter.time.to.utcOffset(0).format('YYYY-MM-DD'))
+            .to.equal('2014-01-02');
+        });
       });
 
-      it('by updating the timefilter', function () {
-        const event = _.cloneDeep(dateEvent);
-        const DAY_IN_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
-        event.range = [1388559600000, 1388559600000 + DAY_IN_MS];
-        brushEvent(event);
-        expect(timefilter.time.mode).to.be('absolute');
-        expect(moment.isMoment(timefilter.time.from))
-          .to.be(true);
-        // Set to a baseline timezone for comparison.
-        expect(timefilter.time.from.utcOffset(0).format('YYYY-MM-DD'))
-          .to.equal('2014-01-01');
-        expect(moment.isMoment(timefilter.time.to))
-          .to.be(true);
-        // Set to a baseline timezone for comparison.
-        expect(timefilter.time.to.utcOffset(0).format('YYYY-MM-DD'))
-          .to.equal('2014-01-02');
+      describe('date field is not index pattern timefield', function () {
+        let dateEvent;
+        const dateField = {
+          name: 'anotherTimeField',
+          type: 'date'
+        };
+
+        beforeEach(ngMock.inject(function () {
+          dateEvent = _.cloneDeep(baseEvent);
+          dateEvent.data.xAxisField = dateField;
+        }));
+
+        it('creates a new range filter', function () {
+          const event = _.cloneDeep(dateEvent);
+          const rangeBegin = JAN_01_2014;
+          const rangeEnd = rangeBegin + DAY_IN_MS;
+          event.range = [rangeBegin, rangeEnd];
+          brushEvent(event);
+          expect($state)
+            .to.have.property('$newFilters');
+          expect($state.filters.length)
+           .to.equal(0);
+          expect($state.$newFilters.length)
+           .to.equal(1);
+          expect($state.$newFilters[0].range.anotherTimeField.gte)
+           .to.equal(rangeBegin);
+          expect($state.$newFilters[0].range.anotherTimeField.lt)
+           .to.equal(rangeEnd);
+          expect($state.$newFilters[0].range.anotherTimeField).to.have.property('format');
+          expect($state.$newFilters[0].range.anotherTimeField.format)
+           .to.equal('epoch_millis');
+        });
+
+        it('converts Date fields to milliseconds', function () {
+          const event = _.cloneDeep(dateEvent);
+          const rangeBeginMs = JAN_01_2014;
+          const rangeEndMs = rangeBeginMs + DAY_IN_MS;
+          const rangeBegin = new Date(rangeBeginMs);
+          const rangeEnd = new Date(rangeEndMs);
+          event.range = [rangeBegin, rangeEnd];
+          brushEvent(event);
+          expect($state)
+            .to.have.property('$newFilters');
+          expect($state.filters.length)
+           .to.equal(0);
+          expect($state.$newFilters.length)
+           .to.equal(1);
+          expect($state.$newFilters[0].range.anotherTimeField.gte)
+           .to.equal(rangeBeginMs);
+          expect($state.$newFilters[0].range.anotherTimeField.lt)
+           .to.equal(rangeEndMs);
+        });
       });
     });
 
@@ -124,6 +181,7 @@ describe('brushEvent', function () {
          .to.equal(1);
         expect($state.$newFilters[0].range.numberField.lt)
          .to.equal(4);
+        expect($state.$newFilters[0].range.numberField).not.to.have.property('format');
       });
 
       it('by updating the existing range filter', function () {
diff --git a/src/ui/public/utils/brush_event.js b/src/ui/public/utils/brush_event.js
index 630fbe83c922..f474461b8d94 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/utils/brush_event.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/utils/brush_event.js
@@ -9,43 +9,64 @@ export function UtilsBrushEventProvider(timefilter) {
         return;
       }
 
-      switch (event.data.xAxisField.type) {
-        case 'date':
-          const from = moment(event.range[0]);
-          const to = moment(event.range[1]);
-
-          if (to - from === 0) return;
-
-          timefilter.time.from = from;
-          timefilter.time.to = to;
-          timefilter.time.mode = 'absolute';
-          break;
-
-        case 'number':
-          if (event.range.length <= 1) return;
-
-          const existingFilter = $state.filters.find(filter => (
-            filter.meta && filter.meta.key === event.data.xAxisField.name
-          ));
-
-          const min = event.range[0];
-          const max = event.range[event.range.length - 1];
-          const range = { gte: min, lt: max };
-          if (_.has(existingFilter, 'range')) {
-            existingFilter.range[event.data.xAxisField.name] = range;
-          } else if (_.has(existingFilter, 'script.script.params.gte')
-            && _.has(existingFilter, 'script.script.params.lt')) {
-            existingFilter.script.script.params.gte = min;
-            existingFilter.script.script.params.lt = max;
-          } else {
-            const newFilter = buildRangeFilter(
-              event.data.xAxisField,
-              range,
-              event.data.indexPattern,
-              event.data.xAxisFormatter);
-            $state.$newFilters = [newFilter];
-          }
-          break;
+      const isDate = event.data.xAxisField.type === 'date';
+      const isNumber = event.data.xAxisField.type === 'number';
+
+      if (isDate &&
+        event.data.xAxisField.name === event.data.indexPattern.timeFieldName) {
+        setTimefilter();
+      } else if (isDate || isNumber) {
+        setRange();
+      }
+
+      function setTimefilter() {
+        const from = moment(event.range[0]);
+        const to = moment(event.range[1]);
+
+        if (to - from === 0) return;
+
+        timefilter.time.from = from;
+        timefilter.time.to = to;
+        timefilter.time.mode = 'absolute';
+      }
+
+      function setRange() {
+        if (event.range.length <= 1) return;
+
+        const existingFilter = $state.filters.find(filter => (
+          filter.meta && filter.meta.key === event.data.xAxisField.name
+        ));
+
+        const min = event.range[0];
+        const max = event.range[event.range.length - 1];
+        let range;
+        if (isDate) {
+          range = {
+            gte: moment(min).valueOf(),
+            lt: moment(max).valueOf(),
+            format: 'epoch_millis'
+          };
+        } else {
+          range = {
+            gte: min,
+            lt: max
+          };
+        }
+
+        if (_.has(existingFilter, 'range')) {
+          existingFilter.range[event.data.xAxisField.name] = range;
+        } else if (_.has(existingFilter, 'script.script.params.gte')
+          && _.has(existingFilter, 'script.script.params.lt')) {
+          existingFilter.script.script.params.gte = min;
+          existingFilter.script.script.params.lt = max;
+        } else {
+          const newFilter = buildRangeFilter(
+            event.data.xAxisField,
+            range,
+            event.data.indexPattern,
+            event.data.xAxisFormatter);
+          $state.$newFilters = [newFilter];
+        }
       }
     };
   };