New Year’s Eve is quickly approaching, just four days away. Today, the Times Square Ball got several new Waterford Crystals installed, but to be exact it got 288 new crystals installed. There are not just 288 crystal wedges on the ball, in total there are 2,668 Waterford triangles on the Times Square Ball. But this year 288 were added that feature the new Gift of Wonder design.
While the other 2,112 crystals are no from the Gift of Wonder design, they are a part of the Gift of Imagination design. The Wonder series design is made up of a faceted starburst inspiring our sense of wonder that nourishes the seeds of knowledge and achievement. These pair quite nicely with the Imagination crystals and last years, Gift of Fortitude which are composed of diamond costs of a crystal pillar to represent the attributes of resolve, courage, and spirit.
In total, there 2688 Waterford Crystal triangles are bolted to 672 Phillips LED modules which get attached to the metal frame of the Times Square Ball. All of these LED modules are made up over 32,256 Phillips Luxeon Rebel LEDs, each module has 48 Phillips Luxeon Rebel LEDs. These are made of 12 red, 12 blue, 12 green, and 12 white which make up the 8,064 colors that light up the ball.
From a statistics stand point, the Times Square Ball comes in at 12 feet in diameter, weighs in at 11,875 pounds, and is packed full of technology. The great folks at Landmark Signs and Electric handle the upkeep, maintenance, and installation of the crystals and LEDs on the ball itself.
Each Waterford Crystals is crafted by an artisan and come out to being about 3/8″ thick, 4.75″ to 5.75″ in length, and 6.8 ounces in weight. Each crystal is individually designed and built to high standards that let them withstand the stress of being 470 feet above Times Square. This means they are wind, precipitation, and temperature proof.
While at the Waterford Crystal installation of the Times Square Ball today, I had the chance to speak with Jeffrey Straus President of Countdown Entertainment, Michael Craig a Group VP of the Americas for Waterford, and Tom Brennan a spokesperson for Waterford Crystal. You can see these interviews below, but stay for later this week for full coverages of the Times Square Ball final test run before the ball drop on New Years Eve.
