Ok, problem solved (for now). All it took was 20 minutes and a can of electrical cleaner...and I feel like a jack for not knowing how easy the assembly pops off btw
I checked as much wiring as I could see and it looked fine so the next step was the connector. It has some corrosion but after a couple of sprays and a Q-tip scrub it came right off. Put the clock back in, set the time and we're good now.
If this or anything else does'nt work for your situation, I also found a few replacement clocks on eBay for $20 shipped.