diff --git a/share/qtcreator/gdbmacros/dumper.py b/share/qtcreator/gdbmacros/dumper.py
index 2be8128bd955331bc1eb64ac341a374b5857f717..6ebbd61f4831c36424602f12cf80b660a7c5bde9 100644
--- a/share/qtcreator/gdbmacros/dumper.py
+++ b/share/qtcreator/gdbmacros/dumper.py
@@ -795,6 +795,7 @@ class SetupCommand(gdb.Command):
             if key.startswith("qdump__"):
                 name = key[7:]
                 qqDumpers[name] = value
+                qqFormats[name] = qqFormats.get(name, "");
             elif key.startswith("qform__"):
                 name = key[7:]
                 formats = ""
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/breakhandler.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/breakhandler.cpp
index 9c2ce4fc91017f789da0a1b76f6ddb98c6219bfc..1758f0f1447e21491a4cff7165728bb421532700 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/breakhandler.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/breakhandler.cpp
@@ -979,12 +979,14 @@ void BreakHandler::setAllPending()
 
 void BreakHandler::saveSessionData()
 {
+    QTC_ASSERT(m_engine->isSessionEngine(), return);
     saveBreakpoints();
     updateMarkers();
 }
 
 void BreakHandler::loadSessionData()
 {
+    QTC_ASSERT(m_engine->isSessionEngine(), return);
     loadBreakpoints();
     updateMarkers();
 }
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerengine.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerengine.cpp
index aed2dd474b0b78147ef5fe0db6a08e04c06fba05..8e6afda85811024bb44283360d5d8279f310cf48 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerengine.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerengine.cpp
@@ -515,6 +515,7 @@ void DebuggerEngine::startDebugger(DebuggerRunControl *runControl)
     QTC_ASSERT(sessionTemplate != this, startFailed(); return);
 
     breakHandler()->initializeFromTemplate(sessionTemplate->breakHandler());
+    watchHandler()->initializeFromTemplate(sessionTemplate->watchHandler());
 
     d->m_runControl = runControl;
 
@@ -699,7 +700,6 @@ void DebuggerEngine::addToWatchWindow()
     if (exp.isEmpty())
         return;
     watchHandler()->watchExpression(exp);
-    plugin()->updateState(this);
 }
 
 // Called from RunControl.
@@ -713,6 +713,7 @@ void DebuggerEngine::handleFinished()
     DebuggerEngine *sessionTemplate = plugin()->sessionTemplate();
     QTC_ASSERT(sessionTemplate != this, /**/);
     breakHandler()->storeToTemplate(sessionTemplate->breakHandler());
+    watchHandler()->storeToTemplate(sessionTemplate->watchHandler());
 }
 
 const DebuggerStartParameters &DebuggerEngine::startParameters() const
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerengine.h b/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerengine.h
index ad7172736368a8da9784925755b0979bc4c967e8..8462d318ff4ba0a565907d111ea9ca2a7a387c89 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerengine.h
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerengine.h
@@ -181,6 +181,7 @@ public:
     virtual unsigned debuggerCapabilities() const { return 0; }
 
     virtual bool isSynchroneous() const { return false; }
+    virtual bool isSessionEngine() const { return false; }
     virtual QString qtNamespace() const { return QString(); }
 
 public slots:
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerplugin.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerplugin.cpp
index fd47e63794453cf228a9b6a9fa129cfcaa2cce37..146e27e391822f6f1355aa493f4575eb86b0033c 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerplugin.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/debuggerplugin.cpp
@@ -719,6 +719,8 @@ class SessionEngine : public DebuggerEngine
 public:
     SessionEngine() : DebuggerEngine(DebuggerStartParameters()) {}
 
+    bool isSessionEngine() const { return true; }
+
     void loadSessionData()
     {
         breakHandler()->loadSessionData();
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/gdb/gdbengine.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/gdb/gdbengine.cpp
index b63d3632fb35fb2312ccbb7d020675c564958b42..c8a0ad106d705d6db5c5b7acfee02df1fe81a191 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/gdb/gdbengine.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/gdb/gdbengine.cpp
@@ -1532,12 +1532,14 @@ void GdbEngine::handleHasPython(const GdbResponse &response)
         foreach (const GdbMi &dumper, dumpers.children()) {
             QString type = _(dumper.findChild("type").data());
             QStringList formats(tr("Raw structure"));
-            formats.append(_(dumper.findChild("formats").data()).split(_(",")));
+            QString reported = _(dumper.findChild("formats").data());
+            formats.append(reported.split(_(","), QString::SkipEmptyParts));
             watchHandler()->addTypeFormats(type, formats);
         }
     } else {
         m_hasPython = false;
-        if (m_gdbAdapter->dumperHandling() == AbstractGdbAdapter::DumperLoadedByGdbPreload
+        if (m_gdbAdapter->dumperHandling()
+                    == AbstractGdbAdapter::DumperLoadedByGdbPreload
                 && checkDebuggingHelpersClassic()) {
             QByteArray cmd = "set environment ";
             cmd += Debugger::Constants::Internal::LD_PRELOAD_ENV_VAR;
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/watchhandler.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/watchhandler.cpp
index ddf6f9e0238fb3738b25134bc4424bf9f8346864..4f4e174fdd08fad6b6316747a735476fc192f327 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/watchhandler.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/watchhandler.cpp
@@ -667,6 +667,9 @@ QVariant WatchModel::data(const QModelIndex &idx, int role) const
             int pos = type.indexOf("::Q");
             if (pos >= 0 && type.count(':') == 2)
                 type = type.mid(pos + 2);
+            pos = type.indexOf('<');
+            if (pos >= 0)
+                type = type.left(pos);
             return m_handler->m_reportedTypeFormats.value(type);
         }
 
@@ -1083,7 +1086,6 @@ void WatchModel::formatRequests(QByteArray *out, const WatchItem *item) const
 WatchHandler::WatchHandler(DebuggerEngine *engine)
 {
     m_engine = engine;
-    m_expandPointers = true;
     m_inChange = false;
 
     m_return = new WatchModel(this, ReturnWatch);
@@ -1235,11 +1237,10 @@ void WatchHandler::watchExpression(const QString &exp)
     if (exp.isEmpty() || exp == watcherEditPlaceHolder())
         data.setAllUnneeded();
     data.iname = watcherName(data.exp);
-    if (m_engine && m_engine->isSynchroneous())
+    if (m_engine->isSynchroneous() && !m_engine->isSessionEngine())
         m_engine->updateWatchData(data);
     else
         insertData(data);
-    m_engine->updateWatchData(data);
     updateWatchersWindow();
     saveWatchers();
     emitAllChanged();
@@ -1351,8 +1352,8 @@ void WatchHandler::removeWatchExpression(const QString &exp0)
             break;
         }
     }
-    updateWatchersWindow();
     emitAllChanged();
+    updateWatchersWindow();
 }
 
 void WatchHandler::updateWatchersWindow()
@@ -1434,14 +1435,17 @@ void WatchHandler::saveTypeFormats()
 
 void WatchHandler::saveSessionData()
 {
+    QTC_ASSERT(m_engine->isSessionEngine(), return);
     saveWatchers();
     saveTypeFormats();
 }
 
 void WatchHandler::loadSessionData()
 {
+    QTC_ASSERT(m_engine->isSessionEngine(), return);
     loadWatchers();
     loadTypeFormats();
+
     foreach (const QByteArray &exp, m_watcherNames.keys()) {
         WatchData data;
         data.iname = watcherName(exp);
@@ -1450,8 +1454,24 @@ void WatchHandler::loadSessionData()
         data.exp = exp;
         insertData(data);
     }
+    updateWatchersWindow();
 }
 
+void WatchHandler::initializeFromTemplate(WatchHandler *other)
+{
+    m_watcherNames = other->m_watcherNames;
+    m_typeFormats = other->m_typeFormats;
+    m_individualFormats = other->m_individualFormats;
+}
+
+void WatchHandler::storeToTemplate(WatchHandler *other)
+{
+    other->m_watcherNames = m_watcherNames;
+    other->m_typeFormats = m_typeFormats;
+    other->m_individualFormats = m_individualFormats;
+}
+
+
 WatchModel *WatchHandler::model(WatchType type) const
 {
     switch (type) {
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/watchhandler.h b/src/plugins/debugger/watchhandler.h
index 0ba82d25d6ed31360feee70374481b7a8088fec3..145a67c8cc7274a283962de3cf10fa5978a6171e 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/watchhandler.h
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/watchhandler.h
@@ -156,6 +156,9 @@ public:
     void loadSessionData();
     void saveSessionData();
 
+    void initializeFromTemplate(WatchHandler *other);
+    void storeToTemplate(WatchHandler *other);
+
     bool isExpandedIName(const QByteArray &iname) const
         { return m_expandedINames.contains(iname); }
     QSet<QByteArray> expandedINames() const
@@ -184,7 +187,6 @@ private:
     void setFormat(const QString &type, int format);
     void updateWatchersWindow();
 
-    bool m_expandPointers;
     bool m_inChange;
 
     // QWidgets and QProcesses taking care of special displays.
diff --git a/tests/manual/gdbdebugger/simple/app.cpp b/tests/manual/gdbdebugger/simple/app.cpp
index a9cef8c01795b29d0ddf6ee063798fca7eb19153..50c73cb9e356bd16039e59e5110e6ee886147364 100644
--- a/tests/manual/gdbdebugger/simple/app.cpp
+++ b/tests/manual/gdbdebugger/simple/app.cpp
@@ -1347,7 +1347,7 @@ QVariant testQVariant3()
     return QVariant("xxx");
 }
 
-QVector<int> testQVector()
+void testQVector()
 {
     QVector<int> big(10000);
 
@@ -1367,8 +1367,6 @@ QVector<int> testQVector()
     QVector<bool> vec;
     vec.append(true);
     vec.append(false);
-
-    return big;
 }
 
 QVector<QList<int> > testQVectorOfQList()