diff --git a/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js b/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js
index 5fd6948f28b362..e7edc1c5acd91f 100644
--- a/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js
+++ b/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js
@@ -11,12 +11,17 @@ const {
   getStatsFromBinding,
   validatePath
 } = require('internal/fs/utils');
+const { defaultTriggerAsyncIdScope } = require('internal/async_hooks');
 const { toNamespacedPath } = require('path');
 const { validateUint32 } = require('internal/validators');
 const { getPathFromURL } = require('internal/url');
 const util = require('util');
 const assert = require('assert');
 
+const kOldStatus = Symbol('kOldStatus');
+const kUseBigint = Symbol('kUseBigint');
+const kOwner = Symbol('kOwner');
+
 function emitStop(self) {
   self.emit('stop');
 }
@@ -24,28 +29,24 @@ function emitStop(self) {
 function StatWatcher(bigint) {
   EventEmitter.call(this);
 
-  this._handle = new _StatWatcher(bigint);
-
-  // uv_fs_poll is a little more powerful than ev_stat but we curb it for
-  // the sake of backwards compatibility
-  let oldStatus = -1;
-
-  this._handle.onchange = (newStatus, stats) => {
-    if (oldStatus === -1 &&
-        newStatus === -1 &&
-        stats[2/* new nlink */] === stats[16/* old nlink */]) return;
-
-    oldStatus = newStatus;
-    this.emit('change', getStatsFromBinding(stats),
-              getStatsFromBinding(stats, kFsStatsFieldsLength));
-  };
-
-  this._handle.onstop = () => {
-    process.nextTick(emitStop, this);
-  };
+  this._handle = null;
+  this[kOldStatus] = -1;
+  this[kUseBigint] = bigint;
 }
 util.inherits(StatWatcher, EventEmitter);
 
+function onchange(newStatus, stats) {
+  const self = this[kOwner];
+  if (self[kOldStatus] === -1 &&
+      newStatus === -1 &&
+      stats[2/* new nlink */] === stats[16/* old nlink */]) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  self[kOldStatus] = newStatus;
+  self.emit('change', getStatsFromBinding(stats),
+            getStatsFromBinding(stats, kFsStatsFieldsLength));
+}
 
 // FIXME(joyeecheung): this method is not documented.
 // At the moment if filename is undefined, we
@@ -54,16 +55,23 @@ util.inherits(StatWatcher, EventEmitter);
 //    on a valid filename and the wrap has been initialized
 // This method is a noop if the watcher has already been started.
 StatWatcher.prototype.start = function(filename, persistent, interval) {
-  assert(this._handle instanceof _StatWatcher, 'handle must be a StatWatcher');
-  if (this._handle.isActive) {
+  if (this._handle !== null)
     return;
-  }
+
+  this._handle = new _StatWatcher(this[kUseBigint]);
+  this._handle[kOwner] = this;
+  this._handle.onchange = onchange;
+  if (!persistent)
+    this._handle.unref();
+
+  // uv_fs_poll is a little more powerful than ev_stat but we curb it for
+  // the sake of backwards compatibility
+  this[kOldStatus] = -1;
 
   filename = getPathFromURL(filename);
   validatePath(filename, 'filename');
   validateUint32(interval, 'interval');
-  const err = this._handle.start(toNamespacedPath(filename),
-                                 persistent, interval);
+  const err = this._handle.start(toNamespacedPath(filename), interval);
   if (err) {
     const error = errors.uvException({
       errno: err,
@@ -80,11 +88,15 @@ StatWatcher.prototype.start = function(filename, persistent, interval) {
 // FSWatcher is .close()
 // This method is a noop if the watcher has not been started.
 StatWatcher.prototype.stop = function() {
-  assert(this._handle instanceof _StatWatcher, 'handle must be a StatWatcher');
-  if (!this._handle.isActive) {
+  if (this._handle === null)
     return;
-  }
-  this._handle.stop();
+
+  defaultTriggerAsyncIdScope(this._handle.getAsyncId(),
+                             process.nextTick,
+                             emitStop,
+                             this);
+  this._handle.close();
+  this._handle = null;
 };
 
 
diff --git a/src/node_stat_watcher.cc b/src/node_stat_watcher.cc
index 0409cfbfb5fac1..d497a0012b03d5 100644
--- a/src/node_stat_watcher.cc
+++ b/src/node_stat_watcher.cc
@@ -31,17 +31,12 @@
 namespace node {
 
 using v8::Context;
-using v8::DontDelete;
-using v8::DontEnum;
 using v8::FunctionCallbackInfo;
 using v8::FunctionTemplate;
 using v8::HandleScope;
 using v8::Integer;
 using v8::Local;
 using v8::Object;
-using v8::PropertyAttribute;
-using v8::ReadOnly;
-using v8::Signature;
 using v8::String;
 using v8::Uint32;
 using v8::Value;
@@ -58,34 +53,24 @@ void StatWatcher::Initialize(Environment* env, Local<Object> target) {
 
   AsyncWrap::AddWrapMethods(env, t);
   env->SetProtoMethod(t, "start", StatWatcher::Start);
-  env->SetProtoMethod(t, "stop", StatWatcher::Stop);
-
-  Local<FunctionTemplate> is_active_templ =
-      FunctionTemplate::New(env->isolate(),
-                            IsActive,
-                            env->as_external(),
-                            Signature::New(env->isolate(), t));
-  t->PrototypeTemplate()->SetAccessorProperty(
-      FIXED_ONE_BYTE_STRING(env->isolate(), "isActive"),
-      is_active_templ,
-      Local<FunctionTemplate>(),
-      static_cast<PropertyAttribute>(ReadOnly | DontDelete | DontEnum));
+  env->SetProtoMethod(t, "close", HandleWrap::Close);
+  env->SetProtoMethod(t, "ref", HandleWrap::Ref);
+  env->SetProtoMethod(t, "unref", HandleWrap::Unref);
+  env->SetProtoMethod(t, "hasRef", HandleWrap::HasRef);
 
   target->Set(statWatcherString, t->GetFunction());
 }
 
 
-StatWatcher::StatWatcher(Environment* env, Local<Object> wrap, bool use_bigint)
-    : AsyncWrap(env, wrap, AsyncWrap::PROVIDER_STATWATCHER),
-      watcher_(nullptr),
+StatWatcher::StatWatcher(Environment* env,
+                         Local<Object> wrap,
+                         bool use_bigint)
+    : HandleWrap(env,
+                 wrap,
+                 reinterpret_cast<uv_handle_t*>(&watcher_),
+                 AsyncWrap::PROVIDER_STATWATCHER),
       use_bigint_(use_bigint) {
-  MakeWeak();
-}
-
-
-StatWatcher::~StatWatcher() {
-  if (IsActive())
-    Stop();
+  CHECK_EQ(0, uv_fs_poll_init(env->event_loop(), &watcher_));
 }
 
 
@@ -93,8 +78,7 @@ void StatWatcher::Callback(uv_fs_poll_t* handle,
                            int status,
                            const uv_stat_t* prev,
                            const uv_stat_t* curr) {
-  StatWatcher* wrap = static_cast<StatWatcher*>(handle->data);
-  CHECK_EQ(wrap->watcher_, handle);
+  StatWatcher* wrap = ContainerOf(&StatWatcher::watcher_, handle);
   Environment* env = wrap->env();
   HandleScope handle_scope(env->isolate());
   Context::Scope context_scope(env->context());
@@ -118,78 +102,28 @@ void StatWatcher::New(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
   new StatWatcher(env, args.This(), args[0]->IsTrue());
 }
 
-bool StatWatcher::IsActive() {
-  return watcher_ != nullptr;
-}
-
-void StatWatcher::IsActive(const v8::FunctionCallbackInfo<v8::Value>& args) {
-  StatWatcher* wrap = Unwrap<StatWatcher>(args.This());
-  CHECK_NOT_NULL(wrap);
-  args.GetReturnValue().Set(wrap->IsActive());
-}
-
-// wrap.start(filename, persistent, interval)
+// wrap.start(filename, interval)
 void StatWatcher::Start(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
-  CHECK_EQ(args.Length(), 3);
+  CHECK_EQ(args.Length(), 2);
 
-  StatWatcher* wrap = Unwrap<StatWatcher>(args.Holder());
-  CHECK_NOT_NULL(wrap);
-  if (wrap->IsActive()) {
-    return;
-  }
+  StatWatcher* wrap;
+  ASSIGN_OR_RETURN_UNWRAP(&wrap, args.Holder());
+  CHECK(!uv_is_active(wrap->GetHandle()));
 
   const int argc = args.Length();
-  CHECK_GE(argc, 3);
 
   node::Utf8Value path(args.GetIsolate(), args[0]);
   CHECK_NOT_NULL(*path);
 
-  bool persistent = true;
-  if (args[1]->IsFalse()) {
-    persistent = false;
-  }
-
-  CHECK(args[2]->IsUint32());
-  const uint32_t interval = args[2].As<Uint32>()->Value();
-
-  wrap->watcher_ = new uv_fs_poll_t();
-  CHECK_EQ(0, uv_fs_poll_init(wrap->env()->event_loop(), wrap->watcher_));
-  wrap->watcher_->data = static_cast<void*>(wrap);
-  // Safe, uv_ref/uv_unref are idempotent.
-  if (persistent)
-    uv_ref(reinterpret_cast<uv_handle_t*>(wrap->watcher_));
-  else
-    uv_unref(reinterpret_cast<uv_handle_t*>(wrap->watcher_));
+  CHECK(args[1]->IsUint32());
+  const uint32_t interval = args[1].As<Uint32>()->Value();
 
   // Note that uv_fs_poll_start does not return ENOENT, we are handling
   // mostly memory errors here.
-  const int err = uv_fs_poll_start(wrap->watcher_, Callback, *path, interval);
+  const int err = uv_fs_poll_start(&wrap->watcher_, Callback, *path, interval);
   if (err != 0) {
     args.GetReturnValue().Set(err);
   }
-  wrap->ClearWeak();
 }
 
-
-void StatWatcher::Stop(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
-  StatWatcher* wrap = Unwrap<StatWatcher>(args.Holder());
-  CHECK_NOT_NULL(wrap);
-  if (!wrap->IsActive()) {
-    return;
-  }
-
-  Environment* env = wrap->env();
-  Context::Scope context_scope(env->context());
-  wrap->MakeCallback(env->onstop_string(), 0, nullptr);
-  wrap->Stop();
-}
-
-
-void StatWatcher::Stop() {
-  env()->CloseHandle(watcher_, [](uv_fs_poll_t* handle) { delete handle; });
-  watcher_ = nullptr;
-  MakeWeak();
-}
-
-
 }  // namespace node
diff --git a/src/node_stat_watcher.h b/src/node_stat_watcher.h
index 0d0d263d5cc698..45150de785f9d1 100644
--- a/src/node_stat_watcher.h
+++ b/src/node_stat_watcher.h
@@ -25,26 +25,24 @@
 #if defined(NODE_WANT_INTERNALS) && NODE_WANT_INTERNALS
 
 #include "node.h"
-#include "async_wrap.h"
+#include "handle_wrap.h"
 #include "env.h"
 #include "uv.h"
 #include "v8.h"
 
 namespace node {
 
-class StatWatcher : public AsyncWrap {
+class StatWatcher : public HandleWrap {
  public:
-  ~StatWatcher() override;
-
   static void Initialize(Environment* env, v8::Local<v8::Object> target);
 
  protected:
-  StatWatcher(Environment* env, v8::Local<v8::Object> wrap, bool use_bigint);
+  StatWatcher(Environment* env,
+              v8::Local<v8::Object> wrap,
+              bool use_bigint);
 
   static void New(const v8::FunctionCallbackInfo<v8::Value>& args);
   static void Start(const v8::FunctionCallbackInfo<v8::Value>& args);
-  static void Stop(const v8::FunctionCallbackInfo<v8::Value>& args);
-  static void IsActive(const v8::FunctionCallbackInfo<v8::Value>& args);
 
   size_t self_size() const override { return sizeof(*this); }
 
@@ -53,10 +51,8 @@ class StatWatcher : public AsyncWrap {
                        int status,
                        const uv_stat_t* prev,
                        const uv_stat_t* curr);
-  void Stop();
-  bool IsActive();
 
-  uv_fs_poll_t* watcher_;
+  uv_fs_poll_t watcher_;
   const bool use_bigint_;
 };
 
diff --git a/test/sequential/test-fs-watch.js b/test/sequential/test-fs-watch.js
index 1326e62bc10da4..9755cc8bb11311 100644
--- a/test/sequential/test-fs-watch.js
+++ b/test/sequential/test-fs-watch.js
@@ -126,19 +126,3 @@ tmpdir.refresh();
   });
   oldhandle.close(); // clean up
 }
-
-{
-  let oldhandle;
-  assert.throws(() => {
-    const w = fs.watchFile(__filename,
-                           { persistent: false },
-                           common.mustNotCall());
-    oldhandle = w._handle;
-    w._handle = { stop: w._handle.stop };
-    w.stop();
-  }, {
-    message: 'handle must be a StatWatcher',
-    code: 'ERR_ASSERTION'
-  });
-  oldhandle.stop(); // clean up
-}