It’s always a bother when the battery dwindles down in a quartz watch, with only high-end movements giving any warning of the drop in voltage.
So any way to get the battery to last longer is thought to be a good thing.
There are two common methods for this; one works every time, the other is less successful.
Leave the multiple functions alone! If you don’t need to time anything, you don’t need a chronograph’s big hand turning. The difference in consumption between a chronograph running and a chronograph watch just keeping time is usually double if not worse. The best thing is to have the chronograph hands reset and motionless. There are no downsides, only the battery lasting at least twice as long.
Pulling the crown out when not using the watch. This is the one that only sometimes work. The movement will use less energy with the hands stopped by pulling out the crown; but only if the movement is built to have this feature. There are rare movements that even require a higher rate of consumption to have the hands stopped! The only thing that is guaranteed with this method is the hole in the side of the case. Our advice (though we are biased as we sell replacement batteries) is to leave the crown pushed in, even if not wearing it. It’s best to have the watch sealed from dust and moisture at all times and not worth risking just for a few extra months out of a battery.