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                                                                   Exhibit 10.42

                                SECOND AMENDMENT
                                     TO THE
              WATERS CORPORATION 1996 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

         WHEREAS, Waters Corporation (the "Company") has established and
maintains an employee stock purchase plan for the benefit of certain employees
of the Company entitled the Waters Corporation 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
(the "Plan"); and

         WHEREAS, the Company desires to amend the Plan in certain respects in
order to include in the Plan domestic or foreign entities affiliated with the
Company;

         NOW THEREFORE, in accordance with the power of amendment contained in
Section 20 of the Plan, the Plan is hereby amended, effective January 1, 2000,
as follows:

          1.   Section 23 of the Plan is deleted in its entirety and the
               following new subsection is substituted therefore:

          "23. ADOPTING SUBSIDIARIES. Any entity, foreign or domestic,
          affiliated with the Company may adopt the Plan on behalf of its
          employees either unilaterally or by collective bargaining by filing
          with the Company a certified copy of a resolution of the Board of
          Directors (or other appropriate authorization satisfactory to the
          Secretary of the Company) of such affiliated entity providing for such
          affiliated entity's adoption of the Plan and a certified copy of a
          resolution of the Board of Directors of the Company (or any delegate
          thereof) consenting to such adoption. Each such adopting entity is
          referred to herein as a `Covered Entity.'."

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this amendment to be signed
         on its behalf by its duly authorized representative this 1st day of
         March 2000.

                                           WATERS CORPORATION

                                           By:  /s/BRIAN K. MAZAR
                                             ----------------------------------

                                           Its:  VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES
                                              ----------------------------------<PAGE>

                                                                  Exhibit 10.61

                       AMENDMENT TO THE WATERS CORPORATION
                  1996 NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTOR STOCK OPTION PLAN

                  WHEREAS, Waters Corporation (the "Company") has established
and maintains a stock option plan for the benefit of non-employee directors of
the Company entitled the Waters Corporation 1996 Non-Employee Director Stock
Option Plan (the "Plan"); and

                  WHEREAS, the Company has previously taken action to amend the
Plan in certain respects;

         NOW, THEREFORE, in accordance with the power of amendment contained in
Section 8 of the Plan, the Company having heretofore taken all necessary action
to amend the Plan, the Plan is hereby amended, as follows:

                  1. The first paragraph of Section 4(b) of the Plan is deleted
in its entirety and the following new first paragraph of Section 4(b) is
substituted therefor:

         4(b). ADJUSTMENT. The maximum number of Shares referred to in Section
         4(a), and the number of Shares which may be purchased under any
         outstanding Option granted under Section 6 of the Plan shall be
         proportionately adjusted for any increase or decrease in the number of
         issued and outstanding Shares as the result of (i) the declaration and
         payment of a dividend payable in Common Stock, or the division of the
         Common Stock outstanding at the date hereof (or the date of the grant
         of any such outstanding Option, as applicable) into a greater number of
         Shares without the receipt of consideration therefor by the Company, or
         any other increase in the number of such Shares of the Company
         outstanding at the date hereof (or the date of the grant of any such
         outstanding Option, as applicable) which is effective without the
         receipt of consideration therefor by the Company (exclusive of any
         Shares granted by the Company to employees of the Company or any of its
         Subsidiaries without receipt of separate consideration by the Company),
         or (ii) the consolidation of the Shares outstanding at the date hereof
         (or the date of the grant of any such outstanding Option, as
         applicable) into a smaller number of Shares without the payment of
         consideration thereof by the Company, or any other decrease in the
         number of such Shares outstanding at the date hereof (or the date of
         the grant of any such outstanding Option, as applicable) effected
         without the payment of consideration by the Company; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
         that the total option price for all Shares which may be purchased upon
         the exercise of any Option granted pursuant to the Plan (computed by
         multiplying the number of Shares originally purchasable thereunder,
         reduced by the number of such Shares which have theretofore been
         purchased thereunder, by the original option price per share before any
         of the adjustments herein provided for) shall not be changed.

                  2. Section 6(a) of the Plan is deleted in its entirety and the
following new Section 6(a) is substituted therefor:

         6(a). ANNUAL GRANT OF OPTIONS. Beginning December 1, 1997, on December
         1 of each year through and including December 1, 1998, 1,000 options
         shall automatically be granted to each Non-Employee Director serving on
         the Board on such date. Beginning January 1, 2000, on January 1 of each
         year, 2,000 options, subject to adjustment immediately upon the
         occurrence of any of the events described in Sections 4(b)(i) and/or
         4(b)(ii) hereof occurring after December 9, 1999, such adjustment to be
         made in accordance with the provisions of Section 4(b) hereof, shall
         automatically be granted to each Non-Employee Director serving on the
         Board on such date (collectively, the "Annual Options").

                  3. Section 6(b) of the Plan is deleted in its entirety and the
following new Section 6(b) is substituted thereof:

         6(b). INITIAL GRANT OF OPTIONS. On July 1, 1996, each Non-Employee
         Director serving on the Board on such date shall automatically be
         granted 1,000 options (the "Initial Options"), which shall be
         exercisable on or after July 1, 1997. If after July 1, 1996, a
         Non-Employee Director is initially elected or appointed to the Board
         effective on any date other than January 1, such Non-Employee Director

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         shall automatically be granted at the time of such appointment or
         election, 1,000 Options if such date is prior to December 9, 1999, and
         2000 options if such date is on or after December 9, 1999, in the
         latter case subject to adjustment immediately upon the occurrence of
         any of the events described in Sections 4(b)(i) and/or 4(b)(ii) hereof
         occurring after December 9, 1999, such adjustment to be made in
         accordance with the provisions of Section 4(b) hereof, which options
         shall be exercisable after the one-year anniversary of such grant.

                  4. Section 6(c) of the Plan is deleted in its entirety and the
following new Section 6(c) is substituted thereof:

         6(c)     OPTION EXERCISE PRICE. The exercise price per Share for each
         Option shall be the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of the
         grant, subject to Section 4(b).

                  5. Section 6(e) of the Plan is deleted in its entirety and the
following new Section 6(e) is substituted thereof:

         6(e). CONDITIONS AND LIMITATIONS ON EXERCISE. Unless otherwise approved
         by the Board in its discretion:

         (i) VESTING.

                  A) Each Initial Option shall vest upon the first anniversary
         of the date of grant.

                  (B) Twenty percent of each grant of Annual Options shall vest
         on each December 1, as to Annual Options granted prior to January 1,
         2000, and on each January 1 as to Annual Options granted on or after
         January 1, 2000, in each case, of each of the five years following the
         grant of such Annual Options beginning on the one-year anniversary of
         such grant.

                  (C) Upon the termination of a Non-Employee Director's tenure
         for any reason, the unvested portion of any outstanding Options shall
         expire.

         (ii) EXERCISE. Each Option shall be exercisable in one or more
         installments and shall not exercisable for less than 100 Shares, unless
         the exercise represents the entire remaining exercisable balance of a
         grant or grants. Each Option shall be exercised by delivery to the
         Company of written notice of intent to purchase a specific number of
         Shares subject to the Option. The option price of any Shares as to
         which an Option shall be exercised shall be paid in full at the time of
         the exercise. Payment may, at the election of the Non-Employee
         Director, be made in any one or any combination of the following forms:

                  (A) wire transfer of funds or check in such form as may be
         satisfactory to the Committee;

                  (B) Shares (so long as such shares were held by the
         Non-Employee Director for a period of six months prior to the date of
         exercise) valued at their Fair Market Value on the date of exercise or,
         if the date of exercise is not a business day, the next succeeding
         business day; or

                  (C) through simultaneous sale through a broker of unrestricted
         Shares acquired on exercise, as permitted under Regulation T of the
         Federal Reserve Board.

                  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this amendment to
be signed on its behalf by its duly authorized representative this 27th day of
March, 2000.

                                     WATERS CORPORATION

                                     By: /s/ Brian Mazar
                                       -----------------------------------------

                                     Its:    Senior Vice President
                                             Human Resources
                                        ----------------------------------------

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