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Business Segment Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands | 3 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017 | Sep. 30, 2017 | Jul. 01, 2017 | Apr. 01, 2017 | Dec. 31, 2016 | Oct. 01, 2016 | Jul. 02, 2016 | Apr. 02, 2016 | Dec. 31, 2017 | Dec. 31, 2016 | Dec. 31, 2015
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of operating segments |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2 |  |
Number of reportable segments |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1 |  |
Product sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ 1,552,349 | $ 1,460,296 | $ 1,385,256
Service sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 756,729 | 707,127 | 657,076
Total net sales | $ 687,275 | $ 565,584 | $ 558,250 | $ 497,969 | $ 628,787 | $ 526,830 | $ 536,560 | $ 475,246 | $ 2,309,078 | $ 2,167,423 | $ 2,042,332
Maximum percentage of net sales to an individual customer |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00%
Long-lived assets | 349,278 |  |  |  | 337,118 |  |  |  | $ 349,278 | $ 337,118 | $ 333,355
United States [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Total net sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 669,274 | 665,280 | 656,361
Long-lived assets | 186,344 |  |  |  | 207,062 |  |  |  | 186,344 | 207,062 | 192,352
Europe [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Total net sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 636,472 | 577,257 | 555,886
Long-lived assets | 136,440 |  |  |  | 114,848 |  |  |  | 136,440 | 114,848 | 128,189
China [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Total net sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 387,059 | 331,354 | 278,600
Japan [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Total net sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 167,258 | 167,977 | 145,184
Asia Other [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Total net sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 308,300 | 283,653 | 272,179
Total Asia [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Total net sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 862,617 | 782,984 | 695,963
Long-lived assets | 24,774 |  |  |  | 14,376 |  |  |  | 24,774 | 14,376 | 11,868
Other Geographic Area [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Total net sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 140,715 | 141,902 | 134,122
Long-lived assets | $ 1,720 |  |  |  | $ 832 |  |  |  | 1,720 | 832 | 946
Waters instrument systems [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Product sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 988,750 | 943,218 | 895,626
Chemistry consumables [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Product sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 372,157 | 345,413 | 317,941
TA instrument systems [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Product sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 191,442 | 171,665 | 171,689
Waters service [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Service sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 686,656 | 639,432 | 593,301
TA service [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Service sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ 70,073 | $ 67,695 | $ 63,775

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. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition 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. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(13)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(14)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 210 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03(a)(8)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 360 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6391035&loc=d3e2868-110229 + Details
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