The Times Square New Year's Eve Ball was covered with 504 Waterford Crystal triangles for the 2000 millennium celebration.
The millennium ball marked a major redesign of the object lowered in Times Square. Waterford Crystal supplied the crystal panels, which were arranged on a geodesic sphere and illuminated for the midnight descent. The 2000 ball was about six feet in diameter and weighed roughly 1,070 pounds.
The number 504 applies specifically to the millennium-era design. Later versions became larger and used different arrangements of crystal panels, which is why figures such as 2,688 are associated with later Times Square balls rather than the 2000 celebration.
The Times Square Ball tradition began in 1907, but the illuminated crystal design is a later development. Its annual appearance has been updated several times while preserving the familiar one-minute descent before midnight.