I preferred the dots, but that's also because it reminded me of Isles of Sea and Sky metal boxes, those one's also fill up and then count down, as your original design;
maybe changing the sprite/color of the bomb instead of having it only flash could help as indicator for countdown?

For once, I come prepared for #screenshotsaturday
Sorry for the awful camera work/movement, it was something I recorded in the spun of the moment. (Also the area is still WIP and missing a lot of beautification).

For anyone curious: old gif, but this is generally how the "dialogue system" would work/look like in my game normally;

Adapted the "dialogue system" in my game (The One Who Sees Things) for an easter egg. For copyright and spoilers, it's only meant to "resemble" a certain game, can you guess which? #screenshotsaturday