diff --git a/context.go b/context.go
index cd25687..8753929 100644
--- a/context.go
+++ b/context.go
@@ -258,14 +258,18 @@ func (c Context) Floats64(key string, f []float64) Context {
 	return c
 }
 
+type timestampHook struct{}
+
+func (ts timestampHook) Run(e *Event, level Level, msg string) {
+	e.Timestamp()
+}
+
+var th = timestampHook{}
+
 // Timestamp adds the current local time as UNIX timestamp to the logger context with the "time" key.
 // To customize the key name, change zerolog.TimestampFieldName.
 func (c Context) Timestamp() Context {
-	if len(c.l.context) > 0 {
-		c.l.context[0] = 1
-	} else {
-		c.l.context = append(c.l.context, 1)
-	}
+	c.l = c.l.Hook(th)
 	return c
 }
 
diff --git a/event.go b/event.go
index 2557599..deae8db 100644
--- a/event.go
+++ b/event.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ type Event struct {
 	w     LevelWriter
 	level Level
 	done  func(msg string)
+	ch    []Hook // hooks from context
 	h     []Hook
 }
 
@@ -77,6 +78,14 @@ func (e *Event) Msg(msg string) {
 	if e == nil {
 		return
 	}
+	if len(e.ch) > 0 {
+		e.ch[0].Run(e, e.level, msg)
+		if len(e.ch) > 1 {
+			for _, hook := range e.ch[1:] {
+				hook.Run(e, e.level, msg)
+			}
+		}
+	}
 	if len(e.h) > 0 {
 		e.h[0].Run(e, e.level, msg)
 		if len(e.h) > 1 {
diff --git a/hlog/hlog_example_test.go b/hlog/hlog_example_test.go
index 5ffcaf7..a70240e 100644
--- a/hlog/hlog_example_test.go
+++ b/hlog/hlog_example_test.go
@@ -67,5 +67,5 @@ func Example_handler() {
 
 	h.ServeHTTP(httptest.NewRecorder(), &http.Request{})
 
-	// Output: {"time":"2001-02-03T04:05:06Z","level":"info","role":"my-service","host":"local-hostname","user":"current user","status":"ok","message":"Something happend"}
+	// Output: {"level":"info","role":"my-service","host":"local-hostname","user":"current user","status":"ok","time":"2001-02-03T04:05:06Z","message":"Something happend"}
 }
diff --git a/log.go b/log.go
index 8c35785..843a94b 100644
--- a/log.go
+++ b/log.go
@@ -90,8 +90,6 @@ import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
-
-	"github.com/rs/zerolog/internal/json"
 )
 
 // Level defines log levels.
@@ -193,9 +191,6 @@ func (l Logger) With() Context {
 	l.context = make([]byte, 0, 500)
 	if context != nil {
 		l.context = append(l.context, context...)
-	} else {
-		// first byte of context is presence of timestamp or not
-		l.context = append(l.context, 0)
 	}
 	return Context{l}
 }
@@ -208,7 +203,7 @@ func (l *Logger) UpdateContext(update func(c Context) Context) {
 		return
 	}
 	if cap(l.context) == 0 {
-		l.context = make([]byte, 1, 500) // first byte is timestamp flag
+		l.context = make([]byte, 0, 500)
 	}
 	c := update(Context{*l})
 	l.context = c.l.context
@@ -345,21 +340,15 @@ func (l *Logger) newEvent(level Level, done func(string)) *Event {
 	}
 	e := newEvent(l.w, level, true)
 	e.done = done
-	if l.context != nil && len(l.context) > 0 && l.context[0] > 0 {
-		// first byte of context is ts flag
-		e.buf = json.AppendTime(json.AppendKey(e.buf, TimestampFieldName), TimestampFunc(), TimeFieldFormat)
-	}
+	e.ch = l.hooks
 	if level != NoLevel {
 		e.Str(LevelFieldName, level.String())
 	}
-	if l.context != nil && len(l.context) > 1 {
+	if len(l.context) > 0 {
 		if len(e.buf) > 1 {
 			e.buf = append(e.buf, ',')
 		}
-		e.buf = append(e.buf, l.context[1:]...)
-	}
-	if len(l.hooks) > 0 {
-		e.h = append(e.h, l.hooks...)
+		e.buf = append(e.buf, l.context...)
 	}
 	return e
 }
diff --git a/log_test.go b/log_test.go
index 00b8940..b5ee231 100644
--- a/log_test.go
+++ b/log_test.go
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ func TestContextTimestamp(t *testing.T) {
 	log := New(out).With().Timestamp().Str("foo", "bar").Logger()
 	log.Log().Msg("hello world")
 
-	if got, want := out.String(), `{"time":"2001-02-03T04:05:06Z","foo":"bar","message":"hello world"}`+"\n"; got != want {
+	if got, want := out.String(), `{"foo":"bar","time":"2001-02-03T04:05:06Z","message":"hello world"}`+"\n"; got != want {
 		t.Errorf("invalid log output:\ngot:  %v\nwant: %v", got, want)
 	}
 }
@@ -470,7 +470,7 @@ func TestOutputWithTimestamp(t *testing.T) {
 	log := New(ignoredOut).Output(out).With().Timestamp().Str("foo", "bar").Logger()
 	log.Log().Msg("hello world")
 
-	if got, want := out.String(), `{"time":"2001-02-03T04:05:06Z","foo":"bar","message":"hello world"}`+"\n"; got != want {
+	if got, want := out.String(), `{"foo":"bar","time":"2001-02-03T04:05:06Z","message":"hello world"}`+"\n"; got != want {
 		t.Errorf("invalid log output:\ngot:  %v\nwant: %v", got, want)
 	}
 }