By the 16th century "life in the cities had become equated with life by the clock", and by the late 16th century, the first minute hands began to appear on public (and private) clocks. Time in the London of 1609 had become highly measured, increasingly accurate, and integrated into the social order; people "ruled themselves by the clock".
By the 16th century, urban living had become inextricably tied to time management, and by the late 16th century, clocks started displaying minute hands. By 1609, London's precise time-keeping had become an integral part of its social structure; people governed their daily routines according to the clock.