An example we already deal with is GPS satellites orbiting Earth. Their clocks tick a little bit slower on account of how fast they're orbiting, and tick a bit faster on account of being further up Earth's gravity well. The gravitational effect is stronger, and the net effect is that a GPS clock advances an extra 38 microseconds over the course of a day (as measured by a clock on the ground).
http://physicscentral.com/explore/writers/will.cfm
So when you try to standardize on "seconds since the epoch," the inevitable question is "Seconds according to who?"