I can see how that might work.....I used a pair of tweezers that came with a curved end. They seemed ideal but I just wasnt confident about how hard to "pry"! But Im going to go a bit larger with it this weekend....I seem to recall someone using a fork as a 'pry bar' to lift the arms off. But I've never tried that, so do so at your own risk.
As you pry you have to be careful not to damage the face of the clock....which is a little bit flimsy...
thanks for your advice, Ill let you know how it works out!