What crystal company has supplied the illuminated Times Square New Year's Eve ball since 2007?

Waterford Crystal has supplied the illuminated Times Square New Year’s Eve ball since 2007.

The partnership marked the centennial of the first Times Square ball drop. Waterford Crystal, an Irish crystal manufacturer founded in Waterford in 1783, created a new design using thousands of crystal panels mounted on a metal sphere. The panels are arranged in patterns that can be changed for different annual themes.

The modern ball is a highly engineered object rather than a simple glass ornament. It is lit with computer-controlled LEDs, allowing many color combinations and effects during the televised countdown. Its large size and position atop One Times Square make it visible to the crowds gathered below and to viewers around the world.

The ball has had several materials and designs across its history. Earlier versions used iron, wood, aluminum, and other construction methods. Naming the crystal maker is therefore more precise than simply calling the object a glass ball, and the current design is the result of a long sequence of upgrades.