diff --git a/kernel/watchdog.c b/kernel/watchdog.c
index f41334ef0971..cbd3cf503c90 100644
--- a/kernel/watchdog.c
+++ b/kernel/watchdog.c
@@ -161,6 +161,8 @@ static void lockup_detector_update_enable(void)
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_SOFTLOCKUP_DETECTOR
 
+#define SOFTLOCKUP_RESET	ULONG_MAX
+
 /* Global variables, exported for sysctl */
 unsigned int __read_mostly softlockup_panic =
 			CONFIG_BOOTPARAM_SOFTLOCKUP_PANIC_VALUE;
@@ -274,7 +276,7 @@ notrace void touch_softlockup_watchdog_sched(void)
 	 * Preemption can be enabled.  It doesn't matter which CPU's timestamp
 	 * gets zeroed here, so use the raw_ operation.
 	 */
-	raw_cpu_write(watchdog_touch_ts, 0);
+	raw_cpu_write(watchdog_touch_ts, SOFTLOCKUP_RESET);
 }
 
 notrace void touch_softlockup_watchdog(void)
@@ -298,14 +300,14 @@ void touch_all_softlockup_watchdogs(void)
 	 * the softlockup check.
 	 */
 	for_each_cpu(cpu, &watchdog_allowed_mask)
-		per_cpu(watchdog_touch_ts, cpu) = 0;
+		per_cpu(watchdog_touch_ts, cpu) = SOFTLOCKUP_RESET;
 	wq_watchdog_touch(-1);
 }
 
 void touch_softlockup_watchdog_sync(void)
 {
 	__this_cpu_write(softlockup_touch_sync, true);
-	__this_cpu_write(watchdog_touch_ts, 0);
+	__this_cpu_write(watchdog_touch_ts, SOFTLOCKUP_RESET);
 }
 
 static int is_softlockup(unsigned long touch_ts)
@@ -383,7 +385,7 @@ static enum hrtimer_restart watchdog_timer_fn(struct hrtimer *hrtimer)
 	/* .. and repeat */
 	hrtimer_forward_now(hrtimer, ns_to_ktime(sample_period));
 
-	if (touch_ts == 0) {
+	if (touch_ts == SOFTLOCKUP_RESET) {
 		if (unlikely(__this_cpu_read(softlockup_touch_sync))) {
 			/*
 			 * If the time stamp was touched atomically