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".
In the 16th century, city life had become intricately linked with timekeeping, and by the late 16th century, clocks began displaying minute hands. By 1609, London's time-keeping was highly refined, precision-driven, and deeply ingrained in social norms; people's daily lives were orchestrated around the clock.