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Business Segment Information (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 27, 2014	Jun. 28, 2014	Mar. 29, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 28, 2013	Jun. 29, 2013	Mar. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Number of operating segments									2us-gaap_NumberOfOperatingSegments
Number of reportable segments									1us-gaap_NumberOfReportableSegments
Product sales									$ 1,346,729us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet	$ 1,312,503us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet	$ 1,280,507us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet
Service sales									642,615us-gaap_SalesRevenueServicesNet	591,715us-gaap_SalesRevenueServicesNet	563,134us-gaap_SalesRevenueServicesNet
Total net sales	583,870us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet	493,165us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet	481,801us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet	430,508us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet	565,448us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet	457,317us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet	451,115us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet	430,338us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet	1,989,344us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet	1,904,218us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet	1,843,641us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet
Maximum percentage of net sales to an individual customer									2.00%wat_MaximumPercentageOfNetSalesToIndividualCustomer	2.00%wat_MaximumPercentageOfNetSalesToIndividualCustomer	2.00%wat_MaximumPercentageOfNetSalesToIndividualCustomer
Long-lived assets	321,583us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet				324,932us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet				321,583us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet	324,932us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet
United States [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Total net sales									596,549us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_UnitedStatesMember	557,734us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_UnitedStatesMember	531,912us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_UnitedStatesMember
Long-lived assets	181,851us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_UnitedStatesMember				174,143us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_UnitedStatesMember				181,851us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_UnitedStatesMember	174,143us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_UnitedStatesMember
Europe [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Total net sales									607,080us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = us-gaap_EuropeMember	573,786us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = us-gaap_EuropeMember	549,341us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = us-gaap_EuropeMember
Long-lived assets	126,080us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = us-gaap_EuropeMember				138,962us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = us-gaap_EuropeMember				126,080us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = us-gaap_EuropeMember	138,962us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = us-gaap_EuropeMember
China [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Total net sales									238,892us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_ChinaMember	240,535us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_ChinaMember	212,701us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_ChinaMember
Japan [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Total net sales									163,468us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_JapanMember	170,115us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_JapanMember	207,340us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_JapanMember
Asia Other [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Total net sales									237,668us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_AsiaOtherMember	216,229us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_AsiaOtherMember	215,612us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_AsiaOtherMember
Total Asia [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Total net sales									640,028us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_TotalAsiaMember	626,879us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_TotalAsiaMember	635,653us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_TotalAsiaMember
Long-lived assets	12,416us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_TotalAsiaMember				10,412us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_TotalAsiaMember				12,416us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_TotalAsiaMember	10,412us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_TotalAsiaMember
Other Geographic Area [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Total net sales									145,687us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_OtherGeographicAreaMember	145,819us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_OtherGeographicAreaMember	126,735us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_OtherGeographicAreaMember
Long-lived assets	1,236us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_OtherGeographicAreaMember				1,415us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_OtherGeographicAreaMember				1,236us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_OtherGeographicAreaMember	1,415us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet / wat_GeographicAreaAxis = wat_OtherGeographicAreaMember
Waters instrument systems [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Product sales									871,048us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_WatersInstrumentSystemsMember	840,608us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_WatersInstrumentSystemsMember	828,458us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_WatersInstrumentSystemsMember
Chemistry [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Product sales									312,890us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_ChemistryMember	304,130us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_ChemistryMember	294,787us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_ChemistryMember
TA instrument systems [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Product sales									162,791us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_TaInstrumentSystemsMember	167,765us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_TaInstrumentSystemsMember	157,262us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_TaInstrumentSystemsMember
Waters service [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Service sales									579,759us-gaap_SalesRevenueServicesNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_WatersServiceMember	532,323us-gaap_SalesRevenueServicesNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_WatersServiceMember	509,412us-gaap_SalesRevenueServicesNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_WatersServiceMember
TA service [Member]
Entity-Wide Information [Line Items]
Service sales									$ 62,856us-gaap_SalesRevenueServicesNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_TaServiceMember	$ 59,392us-gaap_SalesRevenueServicesNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_TaServiceMember	$ 53,722us-gaap_SalesRevenueServicesNet / us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis = wat_TaServiceMember

X

- Definition

Number of operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise: (a) that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same enterprise), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. An operating segment may engage in business activities for which it has yet to earn revenues, for example, start-up operations may be operating segments before earning revenues.

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Amount after accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization of physical assets used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale. Examples include, but are not limited to, land, buildings, machinery and equipment, office equipment, and furniture and fixtures.

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