diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/sttp/model/sse/ServerSentEvent.scala b/core/src/main/scala/sttp/model/sse/ServerSentEvent.scala
index 3919a58..e40b088 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/sttp/model/sse/ServerSentEvent.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/sttp/model/sse/ServerSentEvent.scala
@@ -35,8 +35,7 @@ object ServerSentEvent {
     event.foldLeft(ServerSentEvent()) { (event, line) =>
       if (line.startsWith("data:")) combineData(event, removeLeadingSpace(line.substring(5)))
       else if (line.startsWith("id:")) event.copy(id = Some(removeLeadingSpace(line.substring(3))))
-      else if (line.startsWith("retry:"))
-        event.copy(retry = ParseUtils.toIntOption(removeLeadingSpace(line.substring(6))))
+      else if (line.startsWith("retry:")) combineRetry(event, removeLeadingSpace(line.substring(6)))
       else if (line.startsWith("event:")) event.copy(eventType = Some(removeLeadingSpace(line.substring(6))))
       else if (line == "data") combineData(event, "")
       else if (line == "id") event.copy(id = Some(""))
@@ -45,6 +44,15 @@ object ServerSentEvent {
     }
   }
 
+  /** The spec accepts only ASCII digits here, and says to ignore the field otherwise - so a value that isn't accepted
+    * leaves any previously parsed one in place. `toIntOption` is still needed to reject a value too large for an `Int`,
+    * and `isDigit` would not do instead of the range check: it, like `toIntOption`, accepts non-ASCII digits.
+    */
+  private def combineRetry(event: ServerSentEvent, newRetry: String): ServerSentEvent =
+    if (newRetry.nonEmpty && newRetry.forall(c => c >= '0' && c <= '9'))
+      ParseUtils.toIntOption(newRetry).fold(event)(retry => event.copy(retry = Some(retry)))
+    else event
+
   private def combineData(event: ServerSentEvent, newData: String): ServerSentEvent = {
     event match {
       case e @ ServerSentEvent(Some(oldData), _, _, _) => e.copy(data = Some(s"$oldData\n$newData"))
diff --git a/core/src/test/scala/sttp/model/sse/ServerSentEventTest.scala b/core/src/test/scala/sttp/model/sse/ServerSentEventTest.scala
index dc36118..1451f6c 100644
--- a/core/src/test/scala/sttp/model/sse/ServerSentEventTest.scala
+++ b/core/src/test/scala/sttp/model/sse/ServerSentEventTest.scala
@@ -108,4 +108,14 @@ class ServerSentEventTest extends AnyFlatSpec with Matchers {
     val sse = ServerSentEvent(Some("a\n"))
     ServerSentEvent.parse(sse.toString.split("\n").toList) shouldBe sse
   }
+
+  "parse" should "keep an earlier retry value when a later one is not a number" in {
+    ServerSentEvent.parse(List("retry: 5", "retry: x")).retry shouldBe Some(5)
+  }
+
+  "parse" should "ignore a retry value that is not made up of ASCII digits" in {
+    ServerSentEvent.parse(List("retry: -1")).retry shouldBe None
+    ServerSentEvent.parse(List("retry: +5")).retry shouldBe None
+    ServerSentEvent.parse(List("retry: ٥")).retry shouldBe None
+  }
 }