If you bought watercress from the store wouldn't it only be the leaves with no roots and already have been chilled. I thought if a plant has already been chilled it won't grow.
You do need stems, even the tiniest little bit of stem, to get roots started. I once bought the only think I could find - a bag of watercress leaves. I dug through the bag and found the ones that had the best stems and laid those on a wet paper towel on a plate of water. I kept it wet for about three days and the roots started growing. Moved them to a glass of water until they were slightly larger and then transferred them to the pond. Water cress will just grow and grow. Chilling? Water cress is already so chill, it don't care. haha!