Day 4- specifically opening the clock

[KQFanatic911]

HI-- I have tried many things and seen many places to try and figure this out.  It's only the second time I've used the hint book but the hint book doesn't help with this one!  I figured the symbols has to do with the relatives from the graveyard since there are six symbols but it's getting frustrating.  Would you give me a spoiler here?

Thanks!

[Caliburn]

Hi KQFanatic, you're on the right track with thinking in terms of Gabriel's relatives (specifically his grandfather Harrison Knight whose clock it is) but off-track in terms of the graveyard specifically, though that was a good idea.

This puzzle's basically the same as in the original game*, so you can use these UHS hints to get pointed in the right direction without maybe needing full spoilers:
What time should I set the clock to?
What symbol should I set the outer dial to?

Since some puzzles have been moved to different days and a couple puzzles have even been slightly changed compared to the original game, sometimes the walkthroughs for the original game won't match the 20th Anniversary Edition. But you can always try clicking around the UHS Hints and see if your question is in there somewhere (possibly on a different day).

If you need a full walkthrough that's specifically designed for the 20th Anniversary Edition at any point, there's a couple here:
http://www.postudios.com/blog/?p=5487
http://www.gameboomers.com/wtcheats/pcGg/GK120th/GK120thAnniversary.htm

Hopefully you won't need to use a walkthrough too often, of course.

* The only difference is that in the original game the clock puzzle was available to solve anytime Day 1-4 and in the 20th Anniversary edition it's specifically a Day 4 activity.

[Caliburn]

By the way, I don't feel that any of the resources I listed above give a sufficient explanation of why this puzzle makes sense (the clues and logic behind it). They're decent enough as hints or walkthroughs, but just missing some of the details and the story logic. So after you've solved the puzzle using the hints above and talked to Grandma Knight about what you've learned, if you think the solution was weird and you want to know my take on what the clues were meant to be and how they connect, I'll include that below:

(We were recently talking about this on the AdventureGamers forum so I am copy-pasting with a few tweaks.)

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

The clock belonged to Gabriel's grandfather, Harrison Knight. You can see that it has what looks like a hidden drawer on it that doesn't open, as well as hour and minute hands (obviously) and those six symbols on the dial. You're essentially looking for a password to open the clock drawer, so the best place to look for clues would be somewhere among grandfather's things. Nothing in the attic, though, is of much help. (Incidentally, you may notice that some of Gabriel's grandfather's things in the attic are German in origin.)

In the bookstore, there is a book of German poetry by Heinz Ritter. The narrator says it belonged to Gabriel's grandfather. Gabriel reads from a volume of poetry that he "always found strangely compelling."

Grandma Knight says Gabriel's grandfather (Harrison Knight) wrote her the most beautiful poetry when they were courting and she always thought he should do more with that gift, but he was a practical man who didn't believe in chasing after dreams. From this, the player learns that Harrison Knight didn't simply like poetry (e.g. enough to own that Heinz Ritter book) but he also actually wrote some himself in his youth.

You can use the German-English dictionary in the bookstore to find out that "drei" means three and "drachen" means dragon, so the "drei drachen" of the poem means "three dragons."

There is a book of snakes in the bookstore. When Gabriel reads it, Grace comments that snakes are what the legends of dragons are based on. This could help the player connect the "drei drachen"/"three dragons" in the Heinz Ritter poem to the "three snakes" in Gabriel's recurring nightmare. The sketchbook and painting by Gabriel's father Philip Knight also contain "three snakes" imagery. While there is not yet an explicit family connection between Heinz Ritter and Gabriel, this is just another detail that makes the book of poetry seem connected to Gabriel somehow, along with Gabriel finding the poetry strangely compelling.

Most players will probably miss some of the clues, and I think the game was designed so that that's OK. Even if you catch all the clues, I don't think the clues are necessarily intended to make the player jump right away to the conclusion that Harrison Knight is himself Heinz Ritter. The connection between Gabriel and the "three dragons" imagery is meant to seem significant but mysterious until you learn more as the game progresses. So most players will open the clock having figured out that "three dragons" has something to do with Gabriel's family and is for some reason the answer, but still feeling like they're unclear exactly how everything fits together, much like Gabriel himself. Still, the clues help you solve the puzzle and they hopefully make the eventual revelation that Harrison Knight is Heinz Ritter feel like a surprise that makes sense in hindsight rather than a surprise that's totally out of nowhere.

Of course, it won't be until a little later in the story that you fully understand why Gabriel, his father Philip Knight, and his grandfather Heinz Ritter/Harrison Knight all seem to be destined to share dreams with similar imagery like the three dragons/snakes. For now, you just know that they do.

[wayens]

Nice writeup, Caliburn! 

But to answer KQFanatic's question more directly, the hint book does already spoil it for you if you want it to.
Level 1 and 2 together of "How do I open this antique clock?" tells you exactly how to do it.