diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/debugHover.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/debugHover.ts
index cef12be1382c1c9cfc1feb080853743a62ce88e0..dda8083354880c9158be566571d1dc72caef5fd1 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/debugHover.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/debugHover.ts
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ export class DebugHoverWidget implements editorbrowser.IContentWidget {
 		} else {
 			this.treeContainer.hidden = true;
 			this.valueContainer.hidden = false;
-			viewer.renderExpressionValue(expression, false, this.valueContainer);
+			viewer.renderExpressionValue(expression, false, this.valueContainer, false);
 		}
 
 		this.showAtPosition = position;
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/debugViewer.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/debugViewer.ts
index caa942cc8ee359dd9e0b889fef094da8b3cb0e8c..5577288a3a209aff7fb0f7190a34d09b8aee2c72 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/debugViewer.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/debugViewer.ts
@@ -35,13 +35,13 @@ const $ = dom.emmet;
 const booleanRegex = /^true|false$/i;
 const stringRegex = /^(['"]).*\1$/;
 
-export function renderExpressionValue(arg2: debug.IExpression|string, debugInactive: boolean, container: HTMLElement): void {
-	let value = typeof arg2 === 'string' ? arg2 : arg2.value;
+export function renderExpressionValue(expressionOrValue: debug.IExpression|string, debugInactive: boolean, container: HTMLElement, showChanged: boolean): void {
+	let value = typeof expressionOrValue === 'string' ? expressionOrValue : expressionOrValue.value;
 
 	// remove stale classes
 	container.className = 'value';
 	// when resolving expressions we represent errors from the server as a variable with name === null.
-	if (value === null || ((arg2 instanceof model.Expression || arg2 instanceof model.Variable) && !arg2.available)) {
+	if (value === null || ((expressionOrValue instanceof model.Expression || expressionOrValue instanceof model.Variable) && !expressionOrValue.available)) {
 		dom.addClass(container, 'unavailable');
 		debugInactive ? dom.removeClass(container, 'error') : dom.addClass(container, 'error');
 	} else if (!isNaN(+value)) {
@@ -52,6 +52,10 @@ export function renderExpressionValue(arg2: debug.IExpression|string, debugInact
 		dom.addClass(container, 'string');
 	}
 
+	if (showChanged && (<any>expressionOrValue).valueChanged) {
+		// value changed color has priority over other colors.
+		container.className = 'value changed';
+	}
 	container.textContent = value;
 	container.title = value;
 }
@@ -62,11 +66,7 @@ export function renderVariable(tree: tree.ITree, variable: model.Variable, data:
 	}
 
 	if (variable.value) {
-		renderExpressionValue(variable, debugInactive, data.value);
-		if (variable.valueChanged && showChanged) {
-			// value changed color has priority over other colors.
-			data.value.className = 'value changed';
-		}
+		renderExpressionValue(variable, debugInactive, data.value, showChanged);
 	} else {
 		data.value.textContent = '';
 		data.value.title = '';
@@ -570,7 +570,7 @@ export class WatchExpressionsRenderer implements tree.IRenderer {
 		if (templateId === WatchExpressionsRenderer.WATCH_EXPRESSION_TEMPLATE_ID) {
 			this.renderWatchExpression(tree, element, templateData);
 		} else {
-			this.renderExpression(tree, element, templateData);
+			renderVariable(tree, element, templateData, this.debugService.getState() === debug.State.Inactive, true);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -581,13 +581,9 @@ export class WatchExpressionsRenderer implements tree.IRenderer {
 		}
 		data.actionBar.context = watchExpression;
 
-		this.renderExpression(tree, watchExpression, data);
-	}
-
-	private renderExpression(tree: tree.ITree, expression: debug.IExpression, data: IVariableTemplateData): void {
-		data.name.textContent = `${expression.name}:`;
-		if (expression.value) {
-			renderExpressionValue(expression, this.debugService.getState() === debug.State.Inactive, data.value);
+		data.name.textContent = `${watchExpression.name}:`;
+		if (watchExpression.value) {
+			renderExpressionValue(watchExpression, this.debugService.getState() === debug.State.Inactive, data.value, true);
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/replViewer.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/replViewer.ts
index 95924f6fea3951fae82e24f2f38a7c9c8550260e..0362a8e053fbe8862e1456fad2f1ed8495895ab2 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/replViewer.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/browser/replViewer.ts
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ export class ReplExpressionsRenderer implements tree.IRenderer {
 
 	private renderInputOutputPair(tree: tree.ITree, expression: debug.IExpression, templateData: IInputOutputPairTemplateData): void {
 		templateData.input.textContent = expression.name;
-		debugviewer.renderExpressionValue(expression, this.debugService.getState() === debug.State.Inactive, templateData.value);
+		debugviewer.renderExpressionValue(expression, this.debugService.getState() === debug.State.Inactive, templateData.value, false);
 		if (expression.reference > 0) {
 			templateData.annotation.className = 'annotation octicon octicon-info';
 			templateData.annotation.title = nls.localize('stateCapture', "Object state is captured from first evaluation");
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ export class ReplExpressionsRenderer implements tree.IRenderer {
 		}
 
 		// value
-		debugviewer.renderExpressionValue(output.value, false, templateData.value);
+		debugviewer.renderExpressionValue(output.value, false, templateData.value, false);
 
 		// annotation if any
 		if (output.annotation) {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debug.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debug.ts
index 483151ee8a96368f0711b2ac8e995504b23a24bb..6748fdfb32f758db991437e116a1362f3c01de1e 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debug.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debug.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ export interface IExpressionContainer extends ITreeElement {
 export interface IExpression extends ITreeElement, IExpressionContainer {
 	name: string;
 	value: string;
+	valueChanged: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface IThread extends ITreeElement {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debugModel.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debugModel.ts
index 824c5f3d3db67197c98696bf679e2782a6caeb90..072d2097d0129ec085c514e5188d34ae1350b22a 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debugModel.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debugModel.ts
@@ -145,11 +145,14 @@ export class KeyValueOutputElement extends OutputElement {
 	}
 }
 
+// TODO@Isidor move common code for expression and variable into a super class
 export class Expression implements debug.IExpression {
 	static DEFAULT_VALUE = 'not available';
+	public static allValues: { [id: string]: string } = {};
 
 	public reference: number;
 	public available: boolean;
+	public valueChanged: boolean;
 	private _value: string;
 	private children: TPromise<debug.IExpression[]>;
 
@@ -166,6 +169,8 @@ export class Expression implements debug.IExpression {
 
 	public set value(value: string) {
 		this._value = massageValue(value);
+		this.valueChanged = Expression.allValues[this.getId()] && Expression.allValues[this.getId()] !== value;
+		Expression.allValues[this.getId()] = value;
 	}
 
 	public getId(): string {
@@ -341,6 +346,7 @@ export class Model extends ee.EventEmitter implements debug.IModel {
 			if (removeThreads) {
 				this.threads = {};
 				Variable.allValues = {};
+				Expression.allValues = {};
 			} else {
 				for (let ref in this.threads) {
 					if (this.threads.hasOwnProperty(ref)) {
@@ -612,7 +618,7 @@ export class Model extends ee.EventEmitter implements debug.IModel {
 					if (!rsf) {
 						return new StackFrame(data.threadId, 0, new Source({ name: 'unknown' }), nls.localize('unknownStack', "Unknown stack location"), undefined, undefined);
 					}
-					
+
 					return new StackFrame(data.threadId, rsf.id, rsf.source ? new Source(rsf.source) : new Source({ name: 'unknown' }), rsf.name, rsf.line, rsf.column);
 				});