Just when you thought it couldn't get any stranger, it does. There's more to it than this, apparently. Timers break based on where they are placed along the X axis along the screen (vertical placement doesn't matter - only horizontal)
Screenshots:
All the same scale:
http://i.imgur.com/4kLjQpd.jpg
Different scales:
http://i.imgur.com/1hcigA2.jpg