Waterford Crystal first supplied the modern crystal Times Square ball in 2000.
The partnership began for the celebration welcoming the year 2000. Waterford Crystal, an Irish crystal manufacturer, provided crystal panels for the redesigned ball, replacing the simpler illuminated forms used in earlier decades. The updated design helped make the object a more elaborate symbol of the millennium celebration.
Later versions continued to use Waterford Crystal panels, with annual patterns added to the design. The ball also gained computer-controlled lighting and a much larger physical size over time, while retaining its traditional descent at midnight.
The Times Square ball is sometimes described as a single solid crystal sphere, but it is actually a geodesic-style structure covered with crystal panels. Waterford Crystal is the supplier associated with the modern redesign; it is not the company that created the original 1907 ball.