Waterford Crystal has supplied the crystal panels used for the Times Square New Year's Eve ball since 2000.
The ball received a major redesign for the millennium celebration welcoming 2000. The new version used Waterford Crystal triangles arranged over a geodesic sphere, replacing the earlier materials and appearance. Waterford, an Irish crystal manufacturer, continued to provide panels for later annual designs.
The ball's surface is updated periodically with new patterns and themes. The crystal panels are mounted over a metal framework and combined with computer-controlled lighting, allowing the sphere to display changing colors and effects during the descent.
Waterford Crystal is the supplier and brand associated with the panels; it is not the name of the ball itself. The New Year's Eve ball has had several physical versions since 1907, including a 2000 design that was much larger and more technologically advanced than the original iron-and-wood ball.