diff --git a/app/views/watchers/_new.html.erb b/app/views/watchers/_new.html.erb
index 6282d59aa0da7b122c10cc484165ebcfd29e1888..311fbe4c1732486c74b87b1ddf9422905472b5c3 100644
--- a/app/views/watchers/_new.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/watchers/_new.html.erb
@@ -17,8 +17,18 @@
                  :project_id => @project) }')" %>
 
   <div id="users_for_watcher">
-    <%= principals_check_box_tags('watcher[user_ids][]', users) %>
+    <%= principals_check_box_tags('watchers[]', users) %>
   </div>
+  <div id="users_watching_issue" style="display: none;"></div>
+ <%= javascript_tag "var persistentWatcher = new persistWatchersList('watcher[user_ids][]', 'users_watching_issue', 'users_for_watcher');" %>
+  <%= javascript_tag do -%>
+  	$(document).ajaxSuccess(function (evt, xhr, settings ) {
+	  if (/^\/watchers\/autocomplete_for_user\?/.test(settings.url)) {
+		  persistentWatcher.bindCheckboxes();
+	  }
+  	});
+  <% end -%>
+
 
   <p class="buttons">
     <%= submit_tag l(:button_add), :name => nil, :onclick => "hideModal(this);" %>
diff --git a/app/views/watchers/autocomplete_for_user.html.erb b/app/views/watchers/autocomplete_for_user.html.erb
index a24d28eb46d52c44119ea1799ad3848c9941197f..ea744fe84504ca1b04070408c0a2f96281ab959a 100644
--- a/app/views/watchers/autocomplete_for_user.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/watchers/autocomplete_for_user.html.erb
@@ -1 +1 @@
-<%= principals_check_box_tags 'watcher[user_ids][]', @users %>
+<%= principals_check_box_tags 'watchers[]', @users %>
diff --git a/public/javascripts/application.js b/public/javascripts/application.js
index fdf5c477bb20c345bc661d75d4cc178290074b11..b8b68c565ead8889858f376c939ef69452f66016 100644
--- a/public/javascripts/application.js
+++ b/public/javascripts/application.js
@@ -602,6 +602,40 @@ function toggleDisabledOnChange() {
 function toggleDisabledInit() {
   $('input[data-disables], input[data-enables]').each(toggleDisabledOnChange);
 }
+
+function persistWatchersList(inputName, inputContainer, checkboxContainer) {
+	this.inputName = inputName;
+	this.inputContainer = $('#' + inputContainer);
+	this.checkboxContainer = $('#' + checkboxContainer);
+	
+	this.bindCheckboxes();
+}
+
+persistWatchersList.prototype = {
+	bindCheckboxes: function () {
+		var oThis = this;
+		this.checkboxContainer.find("input[type='checkbox']").each(function(idx) {
+			var checkbox = $(this);
+			oThis.inputContainer.find("input[type='hidden']").each(function (index) {
+				if ($(this).val() == checkbox.val()) {
+					checkbox.prop('checked', true);
+				}
+			});
+			checkbox.change(function (evt) { oThis.watcherChange($(this)); });
+		});
+	},
+	
+	watcherChange: function(input) {
+		if (input.is(':checked')) {
+			this.inputContainer.append(
+				'<input type="hidden" name="' + this.inputName + '" value="' + input.val() + '" />'
+			);
+		} else {
+			this.inputContainer.find('input[name="' + this.inputName + '"][value="' + input.val() + '"]').remove();
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 $(document).ready(function(){
   $('#content').on('change', 'input[data-disables], input[data-enables]', toggleDisabledOnChange);
   toggleDisabledInit();