diff --git a/gclient_scm.py b/gclient_scm.py
index 70ec6a95c..9564daa0b 100644
--- a/gclient_scm.py
+++ b/gclient_scm.py
@@ -652,14 +652,18 @@ class GitWrapper(SCMWrapper):
         raise gclient_utils.Error('Invalid Upstream: %s' % upstream_branch)
 
     self._SetFetchConfig(options)
-    self._Fetch(options, prune=options.force)
 
+    # Fetch upstream if we don't already have |revision|.
     if not scm.GIT.IsValidRevision(self.checkout_path, revision, sha_only=True):
-      # Update the remotes first so we have all the refs.
-      remote_output = scm.GIT.Capture(['remote'] + verbose + ['update'],
-              cwd=self.checkout_path)
-      if verbose:
-        self.Print(remote_output)
+      self._Fetch(options, prune=options.force)
+
+      if not scm.GIT.IsValidRevision(self.checkout_path, revision,
+                                     sha_only=True):
+        # Update the remotes first so we have all the refs.
+        remote_output = scm.GIT.Capture(['remote'] + verbose + ['update'],
+                cwd=self.checkout_path)
+        if verbose:
+          self.Print(remote_output)
 
     revision = self._AutoFetchRef(options, revision)