diff --git a/test/e2e/versioned_explicit_reference_test.go b/test/e2e/versioned_explicit_reference_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4863e33d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/e2e/versioned_explicit_reference_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+// Copyright 2020 VMware, Inc.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+package e2e
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	uitest "github.com/cppforlife/go-cli-ui/ui/test"
+)
+
+func TestVersionedExplicitReference(t *testing.T) {
+	env := BuildEnv(t)
+	logger := Logger{}
+	kapp := Kapp{t, env.Namespace, env.KappBinaryPath, logger}
+
+	yaml1 := `
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: config-1
+  annotations:
+    kapp.k14s.io/versioned: ""
+data:
+  foo: bar
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: config-2
+  annotations:
+    kapp.k14s.io/versioned-explicit-ref: '{ "references": [ { "namespace": "kapp-test", "kind" : "ConfigMap", "name": "config-1"} ] }'
+data:
+  foo: bar
+`
+
+	yaml2 := `
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: config-1
+  annotations:
+    kapp.k14s.io/versioned: ""
+data:
+  foo: bar1
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: config-2
+  annotations:
+    kapp.k14s.io/versioned-explicit-ref: '{ "references": [ { "namespace": "kapp-test", "kind" : "ConfigMap", "name": "config-1"} ] }'
+data:
+  foo: bar
+`
+
+	name := "test-versioned-explicit-references"
+	cleanUp := func() {
+		kapp.Run([]string{"delete", "-a", name})
+	}
+
+	cleanUp()
+	defer cleanUp()
+
+	logger.Section("deploy initial", func() {
+		kapp.RunWithOpts([]string{"deploy", "-f", "-", "-a", name},
+			RunOpts{IntoNs: true, StdinReader: strings.NewReader(yaml1)})
+	})
+
+	logger.Section("update versioned resource", func() {
+		out, _ := kapp.RunWithOpts([]string{"deploy", "-f", "-", "-a", name, "--json"},
+			RunOpts{IntoNs: true, StdinReader: strings.NewReader(yaml2)})
+		resp := uitest.JSONUIFromBytes(t, []byte(out))
+
+		expected := []map[string]string{{
+			"age":             "",
+			"conditions":      "",
+			"kind":            "ConfigMap",
+			"name":            "config-1-ver-2",
+			"namespace":       "kapp-test",
+			"op":              "create",
+			"op_strategy":     "",
+			"reconcile_info":  "",
+			"reconcile_state": "",
+			"wait_to":         "reconcile",
+		}, {
+			"age":             "<replaced>",
+			"conditions":      "",
+			"kind":            "ConfigMap",
+			"name":            "config-2",
+			"namespace":       "kapp-test",
+			"op":              "update",
+			"op_strategy":     "",
+			"reconcile_info":  "",
+			"reconcile_state": "ok",
+			"wait_to":         "reconcile",
+		}}
+
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(replaceAge(resp.Tables[0].Rows), expected) {
+			t.Fatalf("Expected to see correct changes, but did not: '%s'", out)
+		}
+	})
+}