diff --git a/status/controller.go b/status/controller.go
index c30198e..113dfdc 100644
--- a/status/controller.go
+++ b/status/controller.go
@@ -372,8 +372,9 @@ func (c *Controller[T]) reconcileFound(ctx context.Context, req reconcile.Reques
 		}
 		duration := condition.LastTransitionTime.Time.Sub(observedCondition.LastTransitionTime.Time).Seconds()
 		c.observeHistogram(c.ConditionDuration, ConditionDuration, duration, map[string]string{
-			pmetrics.LabelType:         observedCondition.Type,
-			MetricLabelConditionStatus: string(observedCondition.Status),
+			pmetrics.LabelType:           observedCondition.Type,
+			MetricLabelConditionStatus:   string(observedCondition.Status),
+			MetricLabelToConditionStatus: string(condition.Status),
 		}, c.toAdditionalMetricLabels(o))
 		c.eventRecorder.Event(o, v1.EventTypeNormal, condition.Type, fmt.Sprintf("Status condition transitioned, Type: %s, Status: %s -> %s, Reason: %s%s",
 			condition.Type,
diff --git a/status/controller_test.go b/status/controller_test.go
index 1a15d87..c01c58b 100644
--- a/status/controller_test.go
+++ b/status/controller_test.go
@@ -119,6 +119,38 @@ var _ = Describe("Controller", func() {
 		Expect(metric).ToNot(BeNil())
 		Expect(metric.GetHistogram().GetSampleCount()).To(BeNumerically(">", 0))
 	})
+	It("should label transition_seconds with the destination status a condition transitioned to", func() {
+		testObject := test.Object(&test.CustomObject{})
+		gvk := object.GVK(testObject)
+		ExpectApplied(ctx, kubeClient, testObject)
+		ExpectReconciled(ctx, controller, testObject) // observe Foo=Unknown
+
+		// Recover Foo: Unknown -> True
+		time.Sleep(time.Second * 1)
+		testObject.StatusConditions().SetTrue(ConditionTypeFoo)
+		ExpectApplied(ctx, kubeClient, testObject)
+		ExpectReconciled(ctx, controller, testObject)
+
+		// The dwell spent in Unknown is recorded labeled with the state left
+		// (status=Unknown) AND the destination (to_status=True).
+		recovered := map[string]string{
+			pmetrics.LabelType:                  string(ConditionTypeFoo),
+			status.MetricLabelConditionStatus:   string(metav1.ConditionUnknown),
+			status.MetricLabelToConditionStatus: string(metav1.ConditionTrue),
+		}
+		Expect(GetMetric("operator_customobject_status_condition_transition_seconds", recovered).GetHistogram().GetSampleCount()).To(BeNumerically(">", 0))
+		// No sample is recorded for the same dwell under a different destination.
+		Expect(GetMetric("operator_customobject_status_condition_transition_seconds", map[string]string{
+			pmetrics.LabelType:                  string(ConditionTypeFoo),
+			status.MetricLabelConditionStatus:   string(metav1.ConditionUnknown),
+			status.MetricLabelToConditionStatus: string(metav1.ConditionFalse),
+		})).To(BeNil())
+		// The deprecated (group/kind-labeled) variant carries to_status as well.
+		Expect(GetMetric("operator_status_condition_transition_seconds", lo.Assign(recovered, map[string]string{
+			pmetrics.LabelGroup: gvk.Group,
+			pmetrics.LabelKind:  gvk.Kind,
+		})).GetHistogram().GetSampleCount()).To(BeNumerically(">", 0))
+	})
 	It("should emit metrics and events on a transition", func() {
 		testObject := test.Object(&test.CustomObject{})
 		gvk := object.GVK(testObject)
diff --git a/status/metrics.go b/status/metrics.go
index a0d5881..96991e6 100644
--- a/status/metrics.go
+++ b/status/metrics.go
@@ -13,6 +13,12 @@ const (
 	MetricLabelNamespace       = "namespace"
 	MetricLabelName            = "name"
 	MetricLabelConditionStatus = "status"
+	// MetricLabelToConditionStatus labels the transition_seconds histogram with
+	// the status the condition transitioned TO. Combined with the existing
+	// "status" label (the status being left), this lets consumers distinguish
+	// how a dwell ended -- e.g. how long a condition was unhealthy
+	// (status="False") before it recovered (to_status="True").
+	MetricLabelToConditionStatus = "to_status"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -33,12 +39,13 @@ func conditionDurationMetric(objectName string, buckets []float64, additionalLab
 			Namespace: pmetrics.Namespace,
 			Subsystem: subsystem,
 			Name:      "transition_seconds",
-			Help:      "The amount of time a condition was in a given state before transitioning. e.g. Alarm := P99(Updated=False) > 5 minutes",
+			Help:      "The amount of time a condition was in a given state (status) before transitioning to another state (to_status). e.g. Alarm := P99(Updated=False) > 5 minutes",
 			Buckets:   buckets,
 		},
 		append([]string{
 			pmetrics.LabelType,
 			MetricLabelConditionStatus,
+			MetricLabelToConditionStatus,
 		}, additionalLabels...),
 	)
 }