Dear @kjm,
we can confirm the clock of the RTC works as intended after invoking machine.deepsleep() using the most recent firmware on a FiPy device. See also [1].
With kind regards,
Andreas.
[1] https://community.hiveeyes.org/t/strom-sparen-beim-einsatz-der-micropython-firmware-im-batteriebetrieb/2055/159