The clocks can range in price from $35 up to $1000 depending on how big and complicated they are. The Christkindlemarklet in Daley Plaza opens at 11 a.m. every day through Dec. 24.

High above the proscenium at the Semperoper opera house in the historic center of Dresden, Germany, a two-panel clock competes for attention with the lavish sets and powerful voices onstage as ...