Javi Gracia's team won their first four games of the current campaign to put the Hornets among the early front-runners - and the Spaniard duly scooped the Premier League Manager of the Month award for August.
The former Rubin Kazan boss has transformed his side during his first full season in charge after successfully avoiding the drop upon his intial appointment as Marco Silva's successor in January last term.
A home defeat by Manchester United in September temporarily stalled momentum as Watford suffered three losses in four games, but Gracia's side showed real character to bounce back with two wins and a draw in their last quartet of fixtures.