diff --git a/app/code/Magento/Catalog/Model/Attribute/Backend/Startdate.php b/app/code/Magento/Catalog/Model/Attribute/Backend/Startdate.php
index 7f7fa8ba62aed..e81d6b0d59404 100644
--- a/app/code/Magento/Catalog/Model/Attribute/Backend/Startdate.php
+++ b/app/code/Magento/Catalog/Model/Attribute/Backend/Startdate.php
@@ -47,9 +47,6 @@ protected function _getValueForSave($object)
         if ($startDate === false) {
             return false;
         }
-        if ($startDate == '' && $object->getSpecialPrice()) {
-            $startDate = $this->_localeDate->date();
-        }
 
         return $startDate;
     }
diff --git a/app/code/Magento/Catalog/Observer/SetSpecialPriceStartDateObserver.php b/app/code/Magento/Catalog/Observer/SetSpecialPriceStartDateObserver.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..640509fb12d79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/code/Magento/Catalog/Observer/SetSpecialPriceStartDateObserver.php
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Copyright © 2013-2017 Magento, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * See COPYING.txt for license details.
+ */
+namespace Magento\Catalog\Observer;
+
+use Magento\Framework\Event\ObserverInterface;
+
+class SetSpecialPriceStartDateObserver implements ObserverInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @var \Magento\Framework\Stdlib\DateTime\TimezoneInterface
+     */
+    protected $localeDate;
+
+    /**
+     * @param \Magento\Framework\Stdlib\DateTime\TimezoneInterface $localeDate
+     * @codeCoverageIgnore
+     */
+    public function __construct(\Magento\Framework\Stdlib\DateTime\TimezoneInterface $localeDate)
+    {
+        $this->localeDate = $localeDate;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Setting Special Price start date
+     *
+     * @param \Magento\Framework\Event\Observer $observer
+     * @return $this
+     */
+    public function execute(\Magento\Framework\Event\Observer $observer)
+    {
+        /** @var  $product \Magento\Catalog\Model\Product */
+        $product = $observer->getEvent()->getProduct();
+        if ($product->getSpecialPrice() && !$product->getSpecialFromDate()) {
+            $product->setData('special_from_date', $this->localeDate->date());
+        }
+
+        return $this;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/code/Magento/Catalog/etc/events.xml b/app/code/Magento/Catalog/etc/events.xml
index a495a47fe9da0..cfd5e35e4ab3e 100644
--- a/app/code/Magento/Catalog/etc/events.xml
+++ b/app/code/Magento/Catalog/etc/events.xml
@@ -51,4 +51,7 @@
     <event name="magento_catalog_api_data_categorytreeinterface_load_after">
         <observer name="legacy_categorytree_load_after" instance="Magento\Framework\EntityManager\Observer\AfterEntityLoad" />
     </event>
+    <event name="catalog_product_save_before">
+        <observer name="set_special_price_start_date" instance="Magento\Catalog\Observer\SetSpecialPriceStartDateObserver" />
+    </event>
 </config>
diff --git a/dev/tests/api-functional/testsuite/Magento/Catalog/Api/ProductRepositoryInterfaceTest.php b/dev/tests/api-functional/testsuite/Magento/Catalog/Api/ProductRepositoryInterfaceTest.php
index aa3e33996636b..8441d4155bfa8 100644
--- a/dev/tests/api-functional/testsuite/Magento/Catalog/Api/ProductRepositoryInterfaceTest.php
+++ b/dev/tests/api-functional/testsuite/Magento/Catalog/Api/ProductRepositoryInterfaceTest.php
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ class ProductRepositoryInterfaceTest extends WebapiAbstract
     const RESOURCE_PATH = '/V1/products';
 
     const KEY_TIER_PRICES = 'tier_prices';
+    const KEY_SPECIAL_PRICE = 'special_price';
     const KEY_CATEGORY_LINKS = 'category_links';
 
     /**
@@ -1122,4 +1123,21 @@ private function getMediaGalleryData($filename1, $encodedImage, $filename2)
             ],
         ];
     }
+
+    public function testSpecialPrice()
+    {
+        $productData = $this->getSimpleProductData();
+        $productData['custom_attributes'] = [
+            ['attribute_code' => self::KEY_SPECIAL_PRICE, 'value' => '1']
+        ];
+        $this->saveProduct($productData);
+        $response = $this->getProduct($productData[ProductInterface::SKU]);
+        $customAttributes = $response['custom_attributes'];
+        $this->assertNotEmpty($customAttributes);
+        $missingAttributes = ['news_from_date', 'custom_design_from'];
+        $expectedAttribute = ['special_price', 'special_from_date'];
+        $attributeCodes = array_column($customAttributes, 'attribute_code');
+        $this->assertEquals(0, count(array_intersect($attributeCodes, $missingAttributes)));
+        $this->assertEquals(2, count(array_intersect($attributeCodes, $expectedAttribute)));
+    }
 }