diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/apm/common/annotations.ts b/x-pack/plugins/apm/common/annotations.ts
index 33122f55d8800..264236e22b0c1 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/apm/common/annotations.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/apm/common/annotations.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,6 @@ export enum AnnotationType {
 export interface Annotation {
   type: AnnotationType;
   id: string;
-  time: number;
+  '@timestamp': number;
   text: string;
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/shared/charts/CustomPlot/AnnotationsPlot.tsx b/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/shared/charts/CustomPlot/AnnotationsPlot.tsx
index 6eff4759b2e7c..0233282bad1b5 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/shared/charts/CustomPlot/AnnotationsPlot.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/apm/public/components/shared/charts/CustomPlot/AnnotationsPlot.tsx
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ const style = {
 export function AnnotationsPlot(props: Props) {
   const { plotValues, annotations } = props;
 
-  const tickValues = annotations.map(annotation => annotation.time);
+  const tickValues = annotations.map(annotation => annotation['@timestamp']);
 
   return (
     <>
@@ -46,12 +46,12 @@ export function AnnotationsPlot(props: Props) {
           key={annotation.id}
           style={{
             position: 'absolute',
-            left: plotValues.x(annotation.time) - 8,
+            left: plotValues.x(annotation['@timestamp']) - 8,
             top: -2
           }}
         >
           <EuiToolTip
-            title={asAbsoluteDateTime(annotation.time, 'seconds')}
+            title={asAbsoluteDateTime(annotation['@timestamp'], 'seconds')}
             content={
               <EuiFlexGroup>
                 <EuiFlexItem grow={true}>
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/get_derived_service_annotations.ts b/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/get_derived_service_annotations.ts
index a4cfcf53a6f0b..e1f24bc1443f0 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/get_derived_service_annotations.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/get_derived_service_annotations.ts
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ export async function getDerivedServiceAnnotations({
       return {
         type: AnnotationType.VERSION,
         id: version,
-        time: firstSeen,
+        '@timestamp': firstSeen,
         text: version
       };
     })
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/get_stored_annotations.ts b/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/get_stored_annotations.ts
index 6a4dd73b03f16..1d378302d7bfe 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/get_stored_annotations.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/get_stored_annotations.ts
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ export async function getStoredAnnotations({
       return {
         type: AnnotationType.VERSION,
         id: hit._id,
-        time: new Date(hit._source['@timestamp']).getTime(),
+        '@timestamp': hit._source['@timestamp'],
         text: hit._source.message
       };
     });
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/index.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/index.test.ts
index 429d018a767cb..ef70a29728e75 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/index.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/apm/server/lib/services/annotations/index.test.ts
@@ -81,13 +81,13 @@ describe('getServiceAnnotations', () => {
         {
           id: '8.0.0',
           text: '8.0.0',
-          time: 1.5281138e12,
+          '@timestamp': 1.5281138e12,
           type: 'version'
         },
         {
           id: '7.5.0',
           text: '7.5.0',
-          time: 1.5281138e12,
+          '@timestamp': 1.5281138e12,
           type: 'version'
         }
       ]);
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/observability/common/annotations.ts b/x-pack/plugins/observability/common/annotations.ts
index 6aea4d3d92f9b..fa4f3dc64ba92 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/observability/common/annotations.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/observability/common/annotations.ts
@@ -47,5 +47,5 @@ export interface Annotation {
   event: {
     created: string;
   };
-  '@timestamp': string;
+  '@timestamp': number;
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/observability/server/lib/annotations/create_annotations_client.ts b/x-pack/plugins/observability/server/lib/annotations/create_annotations_client.ts
index db40833065470..69e64b9e5cc64 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/observability/server/lib/annotations/create_annotations_client.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/observability/server/lib/annotations/create_annotations_client.ts
@@ -112,11 +112,10 @@ export function createAnnotationsClient(params: {
         refresh: 'wait_for',
       })) as IndexDocumentResponse;
 
-      return {
-        _id: response._id,
-        _index: response._index,
-        _source: annotation,
-      };
+      return apiCaller('get', {
+        index,
+        id: response._id,
+      });
     },
     getById: async (getByIdParams: GetByIdParams) => {
       const { id } = getByIdParams;