diff --git a/src/relative-time-element.ts b/src/relative-time-element.ts
index 8f7d469..97829c6 100644
--- a/src/relative-time-element.ts
+++ b/src/relative-time-element.ts
@@ -133,7 +133,13 @@ const dateObserver = new (class {
     try {
       for (const timeEl of this.elements) {
         nearestDistance = Math.min(nearestDistance, getUnitFactor(timeEl))
-        timeEl.update()
+        try {
+          timeEl.update()
+        } catch (error) {
+          setTimeout(() => {
+            throw error
+          })
+        }
       }
     } finally {
       this.updating = false
@@ -144,24 +150,6 @@ const dateObserver = new (class {
   }
 })()
 
-// Batch the initial render of newly-connected elements into a single microtask
-// flush. When N elements are inserted together, this avoids N synchronous
-// formatting passes on the insertion critical path.
-const pendingElements: Set<RelativeTimeElement> = new Set()
-let pendingFlush = false
-
-async function flushPending(): Promise<void> {
-  await Promise.resolve()
-  // Snapshot and clear before iterating so that any connections or disconnections
-  // triggered by update() calls do not interfere with the current batch.
-  const elements = [...pendingElements]
-  pendingElements.clear()
-  pendingFlush = false
-  for (const el of elements) {
-    el.update()
-  }
-}
-
 export class RelativeTimeElement extends HTMLElement implements Intl.DateTimeFormatOptions {
   static define(tag = 'relative-time', registry = customElements) {
     registry.define(tag, this)
@@ -659,23 +647,11 @@ export class RelativeTimeElement extends HTMLElement implements Intl.DateTimeFor
   }
 
   connectedCallback(): void {
-    // Coalesce the initial render into a single microtask-flushed batch.
-    // If attributeChangedCallback already scheduled a microtask for this
-    // element (e.g. an attribute was set before connection), skip enqueuing
-    // here — that in-flight microtask will perform the first render.
-    if (this.#updating) return
-    pendingElements.add(this)
-    if (!pendingFlush) {
-      pendingFlush = true
-      flushPending()
-    }
+    this.update()
   }
 
   disconnectedCallback(): void {
     dateObserver.unobserve(this)
-    // If the element is disconnected before the microtask flush runs, remove
-    // it from the pending set so update() is never called on a detached node.
-    pendingElements.delete(this)
   }
 
   // Internal: Refresh the time element's formatted date when an attribute changes.
@@ -687,12 +663,6 @@ export class RelativeTimeElement extends HTMLElement implements Intl.DateTimeFor
         (this.date && this.#getFormattedTitle(this.date, this.#lang, this.timeZone, this.hourCycle)) !== newValue
     }
     if (!this.#updating && !(attrName === 'title' && this.#customTitle)) {
-      if (pendingElements.has(this)) {
-        // This element is already queued in the batch flush. The flush will
-        // call update() with the latest attribute state, so no separate
-        // microtask is needed.
-        return
-      }
       this.#updating = (async () => {
         await Promise.resolve()
         this.update()
diff --git a/test/relative-time.js b/test/relative-time.js
index 654db8d..3cca808 100644
--- a/test/relative-time.js
+++ b/test/relative-time.js
@@ -3263,71 +3263,63 @@ suite('relative-time', function () {
     })
   })
 
-  suite('connectedCallback microtask batching', function () {
-    let fixture2
-    suiteSetup(() => {
-      fixture2 = document.createElement('div')
-      document.body.appendChild(fixture2)
-    })
-    suiteTeardown(() => {
-      document.body.removeChild(fixture2)
-    })
-    teardown(() => {
-      fixture2.innerHTML = ''
-    })
+  test('renders text and title synchronously when connected', () => {
+    const el = document.createElement('relative-time')
+    el.setAttribute('datetime', new Date(Date.now() - 3 * 60 * 1000).toISOString())
+    fixture.appendChild(el)
+    assert.ok(el.shadowRoot.textContent.length > 0, 'should render text synchronously')
+    assert.ok(el.getAttribute('title'), 'should set title synchronously')
+  })
 
-    test('renders text and title after a single microtask when connected', async () => {
-      const el = document.createElement('relative-time')
-      el.setAttribute('datetime', new Date(Date.now() - 3 * 60 * 1000).toISOString())
-      fixture2.appendChild(el)
-      assert.equal(el.shadowRoot.textContent, '', 'should not have rendered synchronously')
-      await Promise.resolve()
-      assert.ok(el.shadowRoot.textContent.length > 0, 'should have rendered text after microtask')
-      assert.ok(el.getAttribute('title'), 'should have a title attribute after microtask')
-    })
+  test('isolates update errors and still reschedules observer timer', async function () {
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-invalid-this
+    this.timeout(5000)
+    const originalSetTimeout = window.setTimeout
+    const good1 = document.createElement('relative-time')
+    const bad = document.createElement('relative-time')
+    const good2 = document.createElement('relative-time')
+    const datetime = new Date(Date.now() - 15 * 1000).toISOString()
+
+    for (const el of [good1, bad, good2]) {
+      el.setAttribute('format', 'duration')
+      el.setAttribute('precision', 'second')
+      el.setAttribute('datetime', datetime)
+      fixture.appendChild(el)
+    }
+    await Promise.resolve()
 
-    test('renders all elements after a single microtask when multiple are inserted', async () => {
-      const count = 5
-      const elements = Array.from({length: count}, () => {
-        const el = document.createElement('relative-time')
-        el.setAttribute('datetime', new Date(Date.now() - 60 * 1000).toISOString())
-        fixture2.appendChild(el)
-        return el
-      })
-      // All should be unrendered synchronously
-      for (const el of elements) {
-        assert.equal(el.shadowRoot.textContent, '', 'should not have rendered synchronously')
-      }
-      await Promise.resolve()
-      for (const el of elements) {
-        assert.ok(el.shadowRoot.textContent.length > 0, 'should have rendered after microtask')
-      }
-    })
+    let good1Updates = 0
+    let good2Updates = 0
+    const prototypeUpdate = RelativeTimeElement.prototype.update
+    good1.update = function () {
+      good1Updates += 1
+      return prototypeUpdate.call(this)
+    }
+    good2.update = function () {
+      good2Updates += 1
+      return prototypeUpdate.call(this)
+    }
+    bad.update = () => {
+      throw new Error('expected test error')
+    }
 
-    test('does not update an element that is disconnected before the microtask flush', async () => {
-      const el = document.createElement('relative-time')
-      // Connect the element first (no attributes yet, so connectedCallback enqueues
-      // the element in the batch and no attributeChangedCallback microtask is
-      // scheduled yet).
-      fixture2.appendChild(el)
-      // Set datetime AFTER connecting so attributeChangedCallback defers to the
-      // pending batch rather than scheduling a separate microtask.
-      el.setAttribute('datetime', new Date(Date.now() - 60 * 1000).toISOString())
-      // Disconnect before the batch microtask fires.
-      fixture2.removeChild(el)
-      await Promise.resolve()
-      assert.equal(el.shadowRoot.textContent, '', 'disconnected element must not have been updated')
-      assert.equal(el.getAttribute('title'), null, 'disconnected element must not have a title')
-    })
+    globalThis.setTimeout = window.setTimeout = (fn, ms, ...args) => {
+      if (typeof ms !== 'number' || ms <= 0) return 0
+      return originalSetTimeout(fn, ms, ...args)
+    }
 
-    test('attribute change after connection is picked up by the batch flush', async () => {
-      const el = document.createElement('relative-time')
-      fixture2.appendChild(el)
-      // Set datetime AFTER connecting — attributeChangedCallback should defer
-      // to the pending batch flush rather than scheduling a separate microtask.
-      el.setAttribute('datetime', new Date(Date.now() - 2 * 60 * 1000).toISOString())
-      await Promise.resolve()
-      assert.ok(el.shadowRoot.textContent.length > 0, 'should have rendered with the latest datetime')
-    })
+    try {
+      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1200))
+      assert.isAtLeast(good1Updates, 1, 'first non-throwing element should still update in the tick')
+      assert.isAtLeast(good2Updates, 1, 'later non-throwing element should still update in the tick')
+
+      good1Updates = 0
+      good2Updates = 0
+      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1200))
+      assert.isAtLeast(good1Updates, 1, 'observer should continue scheduling future ticks after an error')
+      assert.isAtLeast(good2Updates, 1, 'observer should continue scheduling future ticks after an error')
+    } finally {
+      globalThis.setTimeout = window.setTimeout = originalSetTimeout
+    }
   })
 })