The hands of the clock point to the/a

MustAskAs far as I know, it should be "to the" but I'm not sure.

That's the only one of the three that is not correct.

Do you normally omit "a" in "a quarter past one"?

I am honestly not sure.

MustAskThe hands of the clock pointed to the quarter past one.

That implies a strange clock with two hands that are always together, pointing to one single place on the dial.
Still, it is incorrect.

The hand on the clock below points to the half-past-two position / mark.

Can I chime in with "The hands of the clock indicate a quarter past one." There is actually only one place each hour when the two hands "meet/pass the same spot".

wilpeterCan I chime in with "The hands of the clock indicate a quarter past one." There is actually only one place each hour when the two hands "meet/pass the same spot".

True, but t when the hands of the clock indicate (a) , nobody is suggesting that both hands are pointing to the same spot.

I should have used "quote" from AS posted picture as my reference. Her illustration is much like the function of a timer, where one hand is sufficient to determine the approximate time.

Thank you for your help! Does the same apply when it's 'six'?

The hands of the clock pointed to six.

Would that be the only one correct?

No, at 6:37 both hands would coincide. If you own an alarm clock that is not digital, you can test it yourself.

MustAskWould that be the only one correct?

No. And such a clock would be broken, too.

The hour hand points to 6. The minute hand points to 12. That is 6 o'clock.
The minute hand points to 6. The hour hand points to a position halfway between 6 and 7. That is half past 6.