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Business Segment Information - Summary of Net Sales for Company's Products and Services (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 28, 2020	Mar. 30, 2019
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total net sales	$ 464,939	$ 513,862
Waters Instrument Systems [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total net sales	142,829	184,612
Chemistry Consumables [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total net sales	97,245	99,253
TA Instrument Systems [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total net sales	34,109	36,638
Product [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total net sales	274,183	320,503
Waters Service [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total net sales	174,137	176,049
TA Service [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total net sales	16,619	17,310
Service [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total net sales	$ 190,756	$ 193,359

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Amount, excluding tax collected from customer, of revenue from satisfaction of performance obligation by transferring promised good or service to customer. Tax collected from customer is tax assessed by governmental authority that is both imposed on and concurrent with specific revenue-producing transaction, including, but not limited to, sales, use, value added and excise.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118956577&loc=SL49130543-203045

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
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-Section 50
-Paragraph 5
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118956577&loc=SL49130545-203045

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