I agree with the original post: breast pockets are, for me, almost entirely useless. I wear my glasses and so do not ever store them in my titty pouches; I find it always a struggle to get to things put in there; they get in the way of the chest strap on a rucksack and I always seem to have enough pocket space in my trousers for those essential to which I need access at all times.
On jackets, ad particularly waterproof ones, they are just another area of weakness and are inclined to let water in during a downpour. I find that anything that I put into them usually gets forgotten in time. I put my Fallkniven folder into a breast pocket and completely forgot about it until the time came to wash the jacket. The knife now lives in a more accessible pocket I use regularly - and it ain't on me chest!
That said, I do use a Napoleon-style pocket to stow a map but, apart from that, I just see breast pockets as an annoying means of giving the impression that I've been bench-pressing tons in the gym.