XML 57 R21.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.2.0.727

Income Taxes (Policies) | 6 Months Ended
--- | ---
Jul. 04, 2015
Income Taxes [Abstract] |
Uncertain Income Tax Reporting Positions Policy | The Company accounts for its uncertain tax return reporting positions in accordan ce with the accounting standards for income taxes, which require financial statement reporting of the expected future tax consequences of uncertain tax reporting positions on the presumption that all concerned tax authoriti es possess full knowledge of those reporting positions, as well as all of the pertinent facts and circumstances, but prohibit any discounting of u nrecognized tax benefits associated with those reporting positions for the time value of money.

X
- References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_IncomeTaxDisclosureAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Describes an entity's accounting policy for tax positions taken in the Company's tax return filed or to be filed for which it is more likely than not that the tax position will not be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities (i.e., uncertain tax positions) and other types of contingencies related to income taxes. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wat_IncomeTaxUncertaintiesPolicyPolicyTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | wat_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration