Daniel Sturridge gave Chelsea a fifth-minute lead when he stabbed home a John Terry volley from close range.
A John Eustace own goal doubled Chelsea's lead before a Yuri Zhirkov effort went in off Florent Malouda.
Frank Lampard made it four with a thunderous drive from distance, and another neat finish from Sturridge completed Watford's misery.
Chelsea's irresistible attacking performance was all the more impressive for the fact that they were unable to call on either the injured Nicolas Anelka or top-scorer Didier Drogba, who recently joined Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Watford manager Malky Mackay had hoped to contain Chelsea by opting for a five-man midfield, but the Championship side were rocked by Sturridge's early opener and found themselves three goals down inside 22 minutes, the tie effectively decided.
The build-up to the game was largely overshadowed by the fallout from an interview in French magazine L'Equipe in which Malouda reportedly expressed frustration at playing second fiddle to Lampard.
But there was no evidence of disharmony on the pitch as Chelsea moved smoothly through the attacking gears to leave Watford chasing shadows from the outset.
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