I solved the clock with a friend by simply selecting every possible combination till I found the one that works. Simple trial and error. Took forever, but shiny new chainsaw of death yay
I did the same thing and it annoyed me to no end.

I think FF6 is an awesome game, not the best of all times, but ranks very high. It is without a doubt the best in the FF series and that makes me wonder what the hell is Square waiting to do a remake of this game?!!!