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Income Taxes (Details) (USD $) | 3 Months Ended
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Apr. 04, 2015 | Mar. 29, 2014
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items] |  |
Unrecognized tax benefits, balance at the beginning of the period | $ 19,596,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits | $ 24,716,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits
Other changes in uncertain tax benefits | 933,000 wat_OtherChangesInUncertainTaxBenefits | (812,000)wat_OtherChangesInUncertainTaxBenefits
Unrecognized tax benefits, balance at the end of the period | 20,529,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits | 23,904,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits
Expected change in unrecognized tax benefits in the next twelve months | $ (5,000,000)us-gaap_SignificantChangeInUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIsReasonablyPossibleAmountOfUnrecordedBenefit |
Income Taxes [Line Items] |  |
Effective income tax rate | 15.30%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations | 15.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations

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- Definition Percentage of current income tax expense (benefit) and deferred income tax expense (benefit) pertaining to continuing operations. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 12 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32687-109319 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 13 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32698-109319 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(h)(2)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 08 -Paragraph h -Subparagraph 2 -Article 4 + Details
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- Definition The amount of the unrecognized tax benefit of a position taken for which it is reasonably possible that the total amount thereof will significantly increase or decrease within twelve months of the balance sheet date. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15 -Subparagraph (d) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32718-109319 + Details
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- Definition Amount of unrecognized tax benefits pertaining to uncertain tax positions taken in tax returns. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Glossary Unrecognized Tax Benefit -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6527854 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15A -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=SL6600010-109319 + Details
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- Definition The amount of change in unrecognized tax benefits resulting from changes in all other tax positions. + References No definition available. + Details
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