Ryan Shawcross and Peter Crouch scored either side of the interval to earn Stoke a first win in six and pile more misery on Walter Mazzarri's Watford.
Potters skipper Shawcross, whose last goal came exactly two years and two days earlier, fired past an unconvincing Heurelho Gomes in half-time stoppage time before Crouch benefited from some abject defending from Sebastian Prodl for his 98th Premier League goal shortly after the resumption.
The 2-0 success lifted Mark Hughes' men up to 11th in the table, above the injury-ravaged Hornets, whose head coach Mazzarri looks under increasing pressure amid fears they could be in the midst of a similar collapse to the one they suffered in the second half of last season.
Ryan Shawcross and Peter Crouch score to help Stoke City defeat Watford
