And what’s not to like about the geekiness of this clock? Sure, it may not be as action-packed as a game of periodic table Battleship, but it would make a great conversation starter.

Time is a concept so central to our daily lives. Yet, the closer scientists look at it, the more it seems to fall apart. Time ticks by differently at sea level than it does on a mountaintop. The ...

Some collectors prefer the aesthetics and design of a beautiful timepiece that you can set on a table — “a mechanical sculpture,” as one put it.